Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Processed by: Matthew Hicks

2014

Memphis and Shelby County Room

Memphis Public Library and Information Center 3030 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38111

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Biographical Note

Marion Scudder Griffin was the first female attorney in the state of Tennessee, as well as the first woman to serve in the Tennessee General Assembly. Born in 1879, in Greensboro, Georgia, little is known about Marion Scudder Griffin’s early life. In fact, an 1880 Greensboro census lists Marion S. Griffin as six years’ old, which places her birth year in 1874, five years earlier. Griffin worked for some time as a stenographer in Greensboro, where she became interested in law. Upon moving to Memphis, she worked in Judge Thomas M. Scruggs’ office as a stenographer. She also began studying for the acquisition of her own legal license. On February 15, 1900, she was certified by Chancellor Dehaven and Circuit Court Judge Estes for admission to the bar. Despite this, the Tennessee Supreme Court denied Griffin a legal license on the basis of her sex twice, in 1900 and 1901.

Determined, Griffin began to study at the University of Michigan’s Law School, earning a Bachelor of Laws degree by 1906. She was one of two women in her graduating class. Returning to Tennessee, she spurred the state legislature to pass a law that would give women the right to practice law. Though she was initially “greeted with wisecracks and gaffaws,” she convinced the assembly and a bill was passed on February 13, 1907, and ratified by Governor Patterson two days later.1 On July 1st of that same year, Griffin was licensed by the Tennessee Supreme Court and sworn in as a member of the local bar. She went on to practice law in Memphis for over 40 years. Her legal practice resided in the Goodwyn Institute Building from 1907 to 1949.

In 1923, Griffin became the first woman ever elected to the Tennessee General Assembly. As was noted in a Commercial Appeal article of August 3, 1950, Griffin had the support of public figures like C.P.J. Mooney, editor of the Commercial Appeal, during her campaign. She served a single term. During that time she headed the House Social Welfare Committee and promoted various legislation affecting women and children.

Griffin retired in 1949. She had been an active member of the Memphis Business and Professional Women’s Club and the Memphis League of Women Voters, and she was one of the charter members of the Memphis Chapter of the American Association of University Women. She died January 30, 1957, reportedly age 78, and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

1 Frances Loring, “Marion Griffin – First Female Attorney Licensed to Practice Law in the State of Tennessee,” Newsletter of the Tennessee Lawyer’s Association for Women (August 1994)

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Scope and Content

The Marion Scudder Griffin Collection is contained within a single box measuring .42 linear feet. The donor is unknown. The collection consists of personal documents, collected documents pertaining to Marion Griffin’s life and death, and newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook that cover many of the details of her life. The newspaper clippings give a sense of Memphians’ and Tennesseans’ reaction to Marion Griffin’s success as a female attorney and legislator as well as the political and social climate of her time.

The collection is organized into four folders. The first folder contains some of Marion Griffin’s personal documents, including several papers related to the will and inheritance of her aunt, Margaret L. Scudder. The second folder contains miscellaneous documents pertaining to Griffin’s life and death. The third and fourth folders contain newspaper clippings, taken from a scrapbook of Griffin’s life. A close relative or Griffin herself likely collected the documents in the scrapbook. A scant few documents cover her early life, while most pertain to her career as a lawyer and her tenure as a representative in the Tennessee General Assembly, up until her death in 1957.

Researchers interested in Memphian woman from this period or the suffrage movement in Memphis should examine the Mary Graham Love Papers, the J.B. Mann Suffrage Collection, and the Susanne Conlan Scruggs Collection, who was the wife of Judge Thomas M. Scruggs, for whom Griffin worked after moving to Memphis.

Single photocopies or scans of unpublished writings in these papers may be made for purposes of scholarly research.

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Marion Scudder Griffin Collection Container List

Folder Folder Number Description of Contents Number Name of Items 1 Personal 13 Contains a genealogical mapping of the Scudder family; Documents documents pertaining to Marion Griffin’s executorship of her aunt’s will, including the will itself; a biographical memoranda taken by the Tennessee Historical Committee; a pamphlet of June 1919 that lists the active members in the Scudder Association of America; and the deed to the land inherited by Marion Griffin from her aunt 2 Misc. 15 Contains a scan of pages from the Southwestern Reporter Documents detailing the TN Supreme Court’s decision to deny Marion Griffin a legal license; a correspondence with a University of Michigan Law School recorder confirming Griffin’s graduation in 1906; correspondence with Elmwood Cemetery; scans of newspaper articles pertaining to Marion Griffin; images of the grave where she was interred; biographical sketches from the Memorial Book of the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association; death certificates of Marion Griffin and her family; census data from Greensboro, Georgia, taken in June 1880; and a scan of a portrait of Marion S. Griffin 3 Newspaper 15 Contains newspaper clippings pertaining to the life and Clippings deeds of Griffin from The Tennessean, The Press, The and Misc. Commercial Appeal, The Chattanooga News, The 1/2 Memphis Press, The Nashville Banner, The Evening Tennessean, and other regional papers, taken from a disassembled scrapbook 4 Newspaper 11 Contains more newspaper clippings from The Clippings Tennessean, The Nashville Banner, The Evening and Misc. Tennessean, The Commercial Appeal, The Chattanooga 2/2 News, The Memphis Press, and other regional papers, taken from a disassembled scrapbook

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Folder One Item 1 Handwritten note, authorship unknown, detailing the ancestry of Marion Scudder Griffin and her relation to Margaret L. Scudder Folder One Item 2 A genealogy of the Scudder family, from 1643 to 1933; some of this account is attributed to “Genealogy of Early Settlers of Trenton & Ewing, Old Hunterdon County, New Jersey,” published in 1883, while later information was likely added by Marion Griffin Folder One Item 3 A quit claim deed transferring real estate from Margaret L. Scudder to her niece, Marion Griffin, signed on December 21, 1925 Folder One Item 4 A newspaper clipping from the Daily News, November 5, 1929, describing the will of the late Margaret L. Scudder Folder One Item 5 A biographical memoranda issued by the Tennessee Historical Committee, filled out by Marion Griffin on January 1, 1923 Folder One Item 6 A genealogical account of the Scudder family Folder One Item 7 A copy of the will of Margaret L. Scudder, whose executrix was Marion Griffin Folder One Item 8 Court documents detailing the execution of Margaret L. Scudder’s will Folder One Item 9 Another copy of the will of Margaret L. Scudder, signed by Margaret L. Scudder, Katherine Watson, Frances Wolf, and J.P. Houston Folder One Item 10 Letters Testamentary addressed to Marion Griffin for the legal execution of Margaret L. Scudder’s will Folder One Item 11 Active Membership List of the Scudder Association of America as of June 1919 Folder One Item 12 A reference to “Genealogy of Early Settlers of Trenton & Ewing, “Old Hunterdon County,” New Jersey,” possibly incomplete Folder One Item 13 A warranty deed from Country Club Place to Margaret Scudder for Lot 149 of the Country Club Place Subdivision of Shelby County Folder Two Item 1 Two copies of an article in The Commercial Appeal from Friday, February 22, 1907, detailing Marion Griffin’s acquisition of a license to practice law Folder Two Item 2 Photocopies of pages (746-749) from the Southwestern Reporter that contain the decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court to bar Marion Griffin from legal practice, delivered by the dissenting Judge J. Wilkes and titled “Ex parte Griffin” Folder Two Item 3 Correspondence between Frances Grant Loring and University of Michigan Law School Recorder Cathy Metcalf confirming the validity of Marion Griffin’s graduation from the aforementioned school in 1906 Folder Two Item 4 Correspondence between Marion Griffin and the Board of Managers at Elmwood Cemetery detailing her future burial arrangements Folder Two Item 5 Photocopies of newspaper articles about Marion Griffin. Titles include: “Shelby’s Feminine Influence Known Before In Legislature” and “State’s First Woman Legislator Is Dead”

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Folder Two Item 6 Photocopies of newspaper articles about Marion Griffin. One is titled “Care of Children Is Mother’s Career: State’s First Woman Lawyer Urges Law Study Because of Cultural Good”; the other comes from the March 17, 1949 issue of the Commercial Appeal, and describes how Marion Griffin was honored to sit as Speaker of the House Folder Two Item 7 Images of the grave site of Marion Griffin Folder Two Item 8 A copy of Marion Griffin’s entry in the Memorial Book of the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association Folder Two Item 9 A copy of the resolution of the Memphis and Shelby County Bar Association affirming that Marion Griffin should be honored in its Memorial Book Folder Two Item 10 Copy of Death Certificate of Marion Griffin Folder Two Item 11 Copy of Death Certificate of Margaret L. Scudder Folder Two Item 12 Copy of Death Certificate of Paul B. Griffin Folder Two Item 13 Copy of Death Certificate of Anna Longstreet Griffin Folder Two Item 14 Census data of Greensboro, Georgia, enumerated June 24, 1880 Folder Two Item 15 An image of Marion Scudder Griffin Folder Three Item 1 An embroidered image inscribed with the words, “Jackson Society Jan. 8 1923,” likely from the celebratory dinner discussed in Folder Four, Item 6; and a notecard describing Marion Griffin’s legislative achievements Folder Three Item 2 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Shelby County Has Only Woman for Legislature,” “Shea Leads Futile Attack On Prohi Bill,” and “Would Leave Prohi Bills Over For Peay” Folder Three Item 3 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Judge Pittman Hits Blue Laws And U.S. Court,” “Crump Is For Sunday Shows,” and “Honor Guests for Women’s Voters’ Banquet” Folder Three Item 4 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Women Voters Assemble Here” and “Women’s Legislation Outlined at Nashville” Folder Three Item 5 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. One article contains an image of Marion Griffin; its contents, which have been photocopied and attached, describe her position as guest of honor at a Memphis League of Women Voters’ luncheon. On the reverse side is a telegram inviting Marion Griffin to the luncheon, and a news article with the title, “Sam Hill Will Attend Women Voters’ Luncheon”

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Folder Three Item 6 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “’The Lady From Shelby’ Gives Out Interview,” “Boys Leave Wounds in Trail of Ticket,” “Democratic Women Rally for Action,” “Miss Griffin Would Abolish Divorces,” and “Jackson Society Celebrates Jan. 8 With Brilliant Dinner at Hotel,” as well as the December 7, 1922 edition of “Day by Day: With Gov. Patterson” Folder Three Item 7 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Miss Griffin Gets Berth,” “Shelby Delegation Got No Plums,” and “First Lady of the House,” as well as the January 4, 1923 edition of “Day by Day: With Gov. Patterson” Folder Three Item 8 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Four U.D.C. Chapters Give Luncheon for Mrs. Austin Peay” and “The Editorial of the Day: The Quiet Mind,” as well as a commemoration of the election of two female legislators in Cincinnati and a Shelby County Democratic Legislative Ticket Folder Three Item 9 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Mixed Ticket Is Selected By Democrats,” “Miss Marion Griffin To Represent Shelby,” and “Independents in Field for Legislative Jobs,” as well as a ticket for a reserved seat in the Legislative Section of the Ryman Auditorium, dated to January 14, 1923 at 3:00 Folder Three Item 10 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Woman Solon Favors Law to Abolish Divorce,” “Heiskell for Repeal of All Divorce Laws,” and “Miss Griffin Gets Flowers: Not a Crump Man!” Folder Three Item 11 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Legislative Pickups,” “Miss Griffin Indorses Governor’s Program ‘All the Way Through,’” “Jackson and the Court,” “League of Women Voters Plans State Meeting,” and “Women Voters Adopt Legislative Program” Folder Three Item 12 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Addicts’ Relief Bill Goes to Legislature,” “Legislation Cannot Cure Divorce—Noe,” and “’You’ll Think Before You L[eap,]’ Says Rep. Marion Griffin Under New Divorce Law” Folder Three Item 13 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Mosaic Law to Govern Divorce Under New Bill,” “Judiciary Committee Recommends 20 Bills: Reports Adversely on Miss Griffin’s Divorce Regulation Bill,” “Divorce a Form of Free Love— Manning,” and “The Man They Cannot Forget”

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Folder Three Item 14 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Miss Griffin Is Ill,” “Miss Griffin Scores: House Will Investigate Shea’s Charge of Bad Faith,” ‘House Will Act on Criticism of Woman Member,” “Shea Censure Stopped: Miss Griffin Moves to Table Motion Criticizing Colleague,” “Sunday Movies Banned After Bitter Debate,” “House Passes Bill to Kill Sunday Theaters,” and “Trick Put Over Move Law Says Rep. John Shea” Folder Three Item 15 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Maternity-Infancy Bill Would Come to Rescue of Motherhood,” “Maternity Bill Passes House,” “Miss Griffin Introduces a Bill to Restore Old Boundary Lines,” “Guardianship Bill Passes the Senate Without Struggle,” and “Women of State Committee Will Meet in Tullahoma” Folder Four Item 1 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Eads,” “Connell Says He Didn’t Vote Right,” “No Decision in Water Dispute,” “Unit Rule Cracked on Water Bill Vote,” and “Maternity Bill Is Now Up To Governor” Folder Four Item 2 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Sam Bratton,” “Peay Scores Victory in Carey’s Downfall,” “Seventy General Bills Passed By 1923 Legislature,” Unit Rule Cracked on Water Bill Vote,” “Utilities Hearing Set,” “Defer Movie Tax,” and “Water Bill Doomed” Folder Four Item 3 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Voters’ League Change Date for Luncheon,” “To Honor Miss Griffin at Brilliant Luncheon,” “Women Voters’ League to Honor Miss Griffin,” “Miss Griffin Honored at Women Voters’ League,” “Interest Is Centered in Voters’ League Luncheon,” “Woman Legislator Visits Here,” “Legislative Matters: The Soundness of Youth’s Judgment,” and “Tennessee’s First Woman Legislator Tells Her Ideas of a State Assembly” Folder Four Item 4 A newspaper clipping from a disassembled scrapbook, titled “Women Voters Fete Solons: Miss Marion Griffin, Sam Hill and Local Delegation Luncheon Guests” Folder Four Item 5 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Business Women to Meet Tonight,” “Business Women to Organize on Tuesday Night,” “Miss L. Douglas Heads Business Women of City,” and “Business Women’s Club” Folder Four Item 6 A newspaper clipping from the Press-Scimitar of June 6, 1929. The article, titled “Former Actress Becomes New Treasurer of U.S.,” lists Georgia Neese Clark as the first woman to hold a $100,000-a-year post

Marion Scudder Griffin Collection

Folder Four Item 7 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “What Democratic Women Think of Value of Regional Conference” and “Women Will Back M’Adoo Says Feminine Legislator” Folder Four Item 8 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Many Charming Women Here: Eleven Southeastern States Represented For Democratic Conference” and “Regional Conference in Atlanta Will Assemble Women Prominent in Politics” Folder Four Item 9 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Attending Democratic Conference Here,” “Democratic Women Are Tendered Luncheon at Ansley Roof,” “’Spoils’ System of Republicans Is Hit By George,” and “Mrs. G.F. Milton Stirs Hearers” Folder Four Item 10 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Tennessee Sends Many to Dem. Regional Conference,” “Makes Appeal to Women to Vote,” and “Eyes of Party Upon Women,” as well as a transcribed article from The Atlanta Georgian of Friday, November 23, 1923, about the speech of Mrs. Benton McMillin, an influential figure in the Tennessee Democratic Party, whose husband had served as governor of Tennessee Folder Four Item 11 Newspaper clippings from a disassembled scrapbook. Article titles include: “Monroe Doctrine Celebration: Tennessee Women Who Have Been Named to Attend Event,” “League of Women Voters,” “Women Voters Hold Rally Today,” and “Dove Flutters: Memphis Portia Brings Pair Together”