A CELEBRATION OF FEMALE PIONEERS
Too often, we overlook the accomplishments of influential women who revolutionized their fields. In celebration of Women’s History Month and the accomplishments of these inspirational women, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman invites you to learn more about these pioneers.
Margaret Knight
Knight had an innovative spirit from adolescence. She was awarded her first patent for creating a machine that cut, folded, and glued flat-bottomed paper shopping bags. She eventually was awarded 27 patents across her lifetime, including for a rotary engine and internal combustion engine.
Patricia Bath
Dr. Bath was an innovative ophthalmologist, laser scientist, and researcher. She dedicated her career to blindness prevention, treatment, and cure. Her most important accomplishment in the field was the development of “Laserphaco” and “Community Ophthalmology” as a new discipline in the field.
Madam C.J. Walker
Sarah Breedlove, who would later be known as Madam C. J. Walker, suffered with scalp ailments, which spurred her to begin experimenting with hair treatments to find a remedy for her scalp disorder. Once she perfected her craft, Walker and her husband toured the South and Southeast to promote her products, from a line of pomades to heated combs. She built an empire out of hair care and became the first female self-made millionaire in the United States.
Melitta Bentz
Before Bentz’s invention, coffee brewing systems created bitter, gritty drinks because the coffee grounds were floated in a linen cloth in a boiling pot of water. However, Bentz’s new coffee filtration system brewed coffee perfectly, and she received her first patent for her system in 1908. She founded the namesake company Melitta, which still operates under family control.
Jane Bolin
Justice Bolin was the first black woman to become a judge in the United States when she was sworn into the bench on the New York City Domestic Relations Court, which would later become New York’s Family Court. Bolin was a New York native and dedicated much of her legal career to serving New York. Among her many accomplishments, Bolin was the first black woman to graduate Yale Law and to join the New York City Bar Association.
Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman encourages you to recognize diversity and inclusion every month.