Rita C. Davidson (September 1, 1928 – November 11, 1984)[1] was a lawyer and public servant who was the first woman to serve on the Maryland Court of Appeals.[2]

Rita C. Davidson
Maryland Court of Appeals Judge
In office
1978–1984
Personal details
Born
Rita Charmatz

(1928-09-01)September 1, 1928
Brooklyn, New York City
DiedNovember 11, 1984(1984-11-11) (aged 56)
EducationGoucher College (B.A.)
Yale Law School (LL.B.)

Davidson was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the daughter of Lithuanian and Latvian Jewish immigrants by way of Russia.[3] She graduated from Goucher College in 1948 and Yale Law School in 1951.[4][5]

She worked in private practice in Washington, D.C., and was active in politics in Montgomery County, Maryland. In 1970, Governor Marvin Mandel appointed her as the secretary of Employment and Social Services, the first woman named to a Maryland governor's cabinet.[4]

In 1972, Davidson was appointed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. In 1978, acting governor Blair Lee III appointed her to the Maryland Court of Appeals. Davidson was the first woman appointed to the state's highest court.[6]

Davidson died of cancer on November 11, 1984, at her home in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rita C. Davidson biography". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  2. ^ "Maryland Women's Hall of Fame: Rita Charmatz Davidson". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "Rita Charmatz Davidson". Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Jordan, Mary (November 12, 1984). "Md. High Court Judge Rita Davidson Dies". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b "Rita C. Davidson Dies at 56; A Judge in Maryland Courts". The New York Times. November 13, 1984. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  6. ^ Saperstein, Saundra (December 20, 1978). "Rita Davidson Named to Md. High Court". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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