Who was appointed as the first female Justice of the Peace in the United States?

In 1870, Esther Hobart Morris was appointed the nation’s first female justice of the peace in South Pass City, Wyoming. During her tenure, she competently ruled on 26 cases, none of which were ever reversed on appeal. In a time when women across the nation were still denied many rights, Morris broke down barriers proving that a woman could capably hold office.

In December of 1869, Gov. John A. Campbell famously signed legislation into law granting women the right to vote in the Wyoming Territory. In protest of the new law, James W. Stillman resigned from his post as justice of the peace in what is now Sweetwater County. Ironically, Esther Hobart Morris was appointed to fill his position.