Scope and Content Note
The papers of Florence Ellinwood Allen (1884-1966) span the period 1907-1965 and relate to her position as associate justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and as judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Allen was an active feminist instrumental in obtaining women's suffrage and the first woman to sit on an American court of last resort. She was also the first woman in the United States to occupy the position of senior judge of a federal court of appeals. The papers are organized into the following series: Correspondence , Subject File , Speech and Article File , and Miscellany .
Allen's interest in the women's rights movement is documented by the speeches and articles in her papers. The collection also reveals her interest in the subjects of peace, war, disarmament, and international law. Many of her speeches were delivered to bar associations and subsequently published. Allen received many honorary degrees and the speeches delivered on these occasions are included in the papers.
Approximately half of the collection consists of newspaper clippings pertaining to the judge's activities on behalf of women's suffrage, her campaigns for Congress, consideration of her for a seat on the United States Supreme Court, and honors received in 1959 when she became senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Correspondents include Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, Margaret Chase Smith, and members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers.