Geraldine Macelwane (1909–1974) was the first woman judge on the Lucas County Common Pleas Court in Ohio.[1]
Geraldine F. Connell was born in 1909 inDetroit,Michigan to Jeremiah and Mary Connell. The family moved toToledo, Ohio, in 1924.[2][3] She graduated from high school in 1926 and became a statistical clerk for theWambash Railroad until she lost the position during theGreat Depression.[2][4] She was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1932 before receiving her degree from theUniversity of Toledo.[2] In 1938, she married architect John P. Macelwane, with whom she had two daughters.[4]
In 1937, Macelwane became a prosecutor forLucas County, specializing in child neglect cases. She was elected to the Toledo Municipal Court as the first woman judge in 1952.[2] In 1956, she was appointed to the Lucas County Common Pleas Court by GovernorFrank Lausche, a position she held until her death in 1974.[2][5] By 1958, she had an all-woman court staff; her clerks includedMarigene Valiquette andMary Ann Fackelman.[6][7] As a judge, she developed the individual docket system andjury instructions.[1]
Macelwane died of a heart attack on December 9, 1974.[8] She was posthumously inducted into theOhio Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.[9]