Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Lutie Lytle is credited with being the first American woman to teach law in a chartered law school, when in 1897 she joined the faculty of Central Tennessee Law School in Nashville, Tenn. In addition, she was the first black woman to be admitted to the Kansas and Tennessee bars.
In an 1879 interview, Lutie said, “I conceived the idea of studying law in a printing office where I worked for years as a compositor. I read the newspaper exchanges a great deal and became impressed with the knowledge of the fact that my own people especially were the victims of legal ignorance. I resolved to fathom its depths and penetrate its mysteries and intricacies in hopes of being a benefit to my people.”
Lutie worked as a practicing lawyer and gave lectures at public events to advance the cause of civil rights and integration. She is thought to have died around 1950 at approximately 75 years of age.