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Forgotten Figures: Marion Griffin, Tennessee’s first female lawyer and legislator

By , Daily Memphian Updated: September 07, 2026 4:00 AM CT | Published: September 07, 2026 4:00 AM CT

Marion Griffin couldn’t have been thrilled about this 1900 headline in The Commercial Appeal: WOMEN ARE BARRED. They cannot practice law in Tennessee.

It would have been another reminder of the stinging defeat she’d just suffered.

Fascinated by the legal system, Griffin had trained to become an attorney and been approved to practice by the Shelby County Chancery Court, only to see that approval revoked by the Tennessee Supreme Court — which ruled she couldn’t join the bar or practice law because of her gender.

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Tennessee General Assembly Marion Griffin Forgotten Figures Subscriber Only

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John Klyce

John Klyce

John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.


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