Three divorces in 15 minutes: First woman to serve as district judge cleared docket in 45 minutes in 1923

Jane A. Mitchell was born in Illinois in 1883 and came to Oklahoma about 1900.

By 1905, she had married Ezra Shaw, given birth to a daughter and divorced.

According to the Sept. 8, 1922, Oklahoma Leader, Mrs. Jane A. Shaw was one of the few women practicing law in Oklahoma City and, before becoming an attorney, had been a court reporter.

And then, she made Oklahoma history.

The headline from The Daily Oklahoman on March 13, 1923, reads:

Three Divorces In Fifteen Minutes Is Woman Judge's Pace. Mrs. Jane Shaw First of Sex in Oklahoma to Sit As Justice in District Court.

For the first time in its history, Oklahoma had a woman sitting on the district court bench Monday afternoon, as a special district judge.

She cleared the docket of three divorce cases, one injunction suit and a petition amendment, within forty-five minutes. Three of her decisions favored women plaintiffs and the other two men plaintiffs.

Her honor is Mrs. Jane Shaw, 11 West Thirteenth street, woman lawyer.

Judge Shaw was sworn in as a special district judge at the instance of G.G. Smith, attorney, to dispose of some cases which arose while all the other district judges were busy. ...

Her first case was that of J.W. Tolbert who sued his wife, Minnie Tolbert, for divorce. Tolbert alleged cruelty and abandonment. Mrs. Tolbert recently shot at Tolbert and killed Matt Green, a travelling musician.

"Divorce granted," her honor said after five minutes of testimony. "Next case." Then she pulled off her coat and reached for a glass of water. ...

Judge Shaw adjourned court after a forty-five-minute session with three divorces, one injunction and one petition cleared from docket.

Her obituary, published in The Daily Oklahoman on May 1, 1957, mentioned:

The court room was jammed with spectators who wanted to watch Oklahoma's first woman district judge in action.

Born in Alton, Ill., she came to Oklahoma as a child with her family. She practiced law in Oklahoma City for about 20 years.

She later married James Shumaker in 1936 and returned to Illinois.

If you would like to contact Mary Phillips about The Archivist, email her at gapnmary@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: First female district judge in Oklahoma made an impression in 1923