Genevieve R. Cline

Genevieve Rose Cline (July 27, 1877 – October 25, 1959) was a judge of the United States Customs Court and the first woman to serve in the United States federal judiciary, serving as an Article I federal judge.

Education and career
Born on July 27, 1877, in Warren, Ohio, Cline was the daughter of Edward B. Cline and Mary A. (Fee) Cline. She graduated from Warren High School and attended Cleveland's Spencerian Business College. She later attended Oberlin College, then transferred to Baldwin Wallace College, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1921. During the 1910s, Cline served as President of the Cleveland Federation of Women's Clubs for six years, and was Chairman of the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs for two years. She entered private practice in Cleveland, Ohio from 1921 to 1928. She was an appraiser of merchandise for the United States Department of the Treasury in Cleveland from 1922 to 1928, becoming the first women to hold such a post.

Federal judicial service
Cline was nominated by President Calvin Coolidge on May 4, 1928, to an Associate Justice seat (Judge from June 17, 1930) on the United States Customs Court vacated by Associate Justice William C. Adamson. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 25, 1928, and received her commission on May 26, 1928. She took her oath of office in the Cleveland Federal Building on June 5, 1928, becoming the first American woman ever appointed to the federal bench, serving as an Article I federal judge. Her service terminated on March 1, 1953, due to her retirement. She was succeeded by Judge Mary H. Donlon.

Death
Cline died on October 25, 1959, in Cleveland.

Painting
A painting of Cline is included in a group mural at the Student Services area of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.