Lavinia Goodell

05/02/2026

Lavinia Goodell, who in 1874 became Wisconsin's first woman lawyer, was born on May 2, 1839 in Utica, New York. Lavinia grew up in a staunch abolitionist household that believed in equal rights for all. She was a sickly child who was rarely healthy enough to attend public school until the family moved to Brooklyn in the early 1850s. It was there that she came into her own. She attended a girls' academy where she honed her writing skills. After graduating at the top of her class, she worked as a teacher and an editor, first assisting her father in his various publishing endeavors and later at Harper's Bazar Magazine. After moving to Janesville, Wisconsin in 1871, she pursued her teenage dream of becoming a lawyer. Throughout her life, she worked tirelessly for women's suffrage, rights for married women, prison reform, and many other social causes. Although she only lived 40 years, she was a pioneer and her impact is still felt today. Learn more about her at www.laviniagoodell.com.

04/06/2026

On April 6, 1875, 45 years before women won the right to vote, Lavinia Goodell ran for Janesville, Wisconsin City Attorney on the Temperance, or Anti-License, ticket. Although she did not win, she did make a respectable showing, earning 60 votes from Janesville's male voters. This was the Lavinia's only run for public office, but for the rest of her life she worked tirelessly to gain suffrage for women.

Learn more about the life of Wisconsin's first woman lawyer at www.laviniagoodell.com.

If you are interested in 19th century history, especially women's history, please like and share our Facebook posts and follow Lavinia's page.

04/02/2026

During the month of April, Blackhawk Technical College is hosting the four panel display about the life of Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin’s first woman lawyer, in their library. If you would like to host the display in your library, museum, or other facility, please reach out and ask about availability. We are always happy to introduce Lavinia to new audiences. 

03/31/2026

In the early morning hours of March 31, 1880, Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin's first woman lawyer, died of ovarian cancer. She was 40 years old. She had gone to Milwaukee in early January to seek treatment at a Turkish bath establishment. Her condition worsened, and she was taken to a private home where she was cared for until her death. The Janesville Gazette eulogized her by saying, "Miss Goodell was a woman of marked characteristics, of strong willpower, and a close student. After a severe struggle and much delay, she was finally admitted to the Supreme Court of this state. She was widely known by her many and able articles on women's rights that appeared in the leading journals of the East." As women's history month ends, let us pause to remember this champion of equality who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of her fellow citizens.

Learn more about Lavinia Goodell at www.laviniagoodell.com.

03/02/2026

During women’s history month, the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin, is displaying four large banners telling the life story of Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin‘s first woman lawyer, who was living in Janesville when she was admitted to the bar in June of 1874. If you are in the Janesville  area, please stop in to see them. 

02/15/2026

150 years ago, on February 15, 1876, the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied Lavinia Goodell's motion to become the first woman admitted to practice before the court. Although Lavinia was bitterly disappointed, the rejection spurred her to lobby the all-male legislature to change the law to provide that no qualified person may be denied a law license due to gender. That legislation was signed into law only thirteen months later. Read more here. https://www.laviniagoodell.com/petition-denied/

If you are interested in 19th century history, especially women's history, please like and share Lavinia's Facebook posts and follow her page. All prior posts are available at www.laviniagoodell.com.

“Petition denied.” One hundred fifty years ago, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued one of its most famous – and infamous – decisions. The afternoon edition of the Tuesday, February 15, 1876 Wisconsin State Journal contained a list of the opinions the court had handed down earlier that day. T...

01/29/2026

Lavinia Goodell, who became Wisconsin's first woman lawyer in 1874, had a sense of humor that served her well throughout her life. Lavinia never married, but her writings indicate she would have been amenable to a match if the right partner came along. In 1867, when she was 28 years old and living in New York City, she compiled a detailed family tree tracing her ancestors back to the mid-1600s. At the end she listed her own name and wrote "Unmarried in 1867 (but not without hope.)"

If you are interested in 19th century history, especially women's history, please like and share Lavinia's Facebook posts and follow her page. An extensive digital biography of Lavinia Goodell may be found at www.laviniagoodell.com.

01/20/2026

In early 1876 when the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied Lavinia Goodell's petition to practice before it because Wisconsin statutes governing the practice of law did not specifically mention women, celebrated Congregationalist preacher Henry Ward Beecher panned the decision, asking whether any law said that women could cook, scrub, wash or teach.

Learn more here. https://www.laviniagoodell.com/where-is-the-line-to-be-drawn-between-you-may-do-this-and-you-must-not-do-that/

If you are interested in nineteenth century history, especially women's history, please like and share Lavinia's Facebook posts and follow her page. Prior posts are available at www.laviniagoodell.com.

09/19/2025

The William Goodell archive at Berea College contains a draft of a short story that Lavinia Goodell wrote in the early 1870s. The main character in "A Partner With Capital" shares Lavinia's personal views that there is nothing wrong with a young woman choosing to pursue a career rather than settle for a man who is not her equal. Learn more here. https://www.laviniagoodell.com/whoever-heard-of-a-woman-so-rich-as-to-be-possessor-of-both-a-mind-and-heart/

If you are interested in 19th century history, especially women's history, please like and share our Facebook posts and follow Lavinia's page. All prior posts are available at www.laviniagoodell.com.

“Whoever heard of a woman so rich as to be possessor of both a mind and heart?” Lavinia Goodell, 1870s The William Goodell family papers housed in the Special Collections and Archives of Berea College in Berea, Kentucky contain a draft of a short story written by Lavinia Goodell titled “A Part...

09/10/2025

The Janesville Gazette is celebrating 180 years in business and each week is featuring a prominent Janesville person from each of its 18 decades. The Gazette chose Lavinia Goodell as their featured person from the 1870s. Thank you Janesville Gazette for helping keep Lavinia‘s memory alive.