Clara Shortridge Foltz

Clara Shortridge Foltz (http://www.answers.com/topic/clara-s-foltz)

A hero is a person who can change others’ lives. She is a person who can stand up for others. She can think of a smart idea that others might think cannot happen. A hero is also a person who can be powerful to make a change. My hero is Clara Shortridge Foltz.

Clara Shortridge Foltz was born July 16, 1849 in Lafayette, Indiana. She had four brothers. When she was little her family moved to Iowa. She went to school at Howe's Academy. There she learned how to defend women's rights. When she was fourteen, she started teaching near Keithsburg, Illinois. On December 30, 1864, she got married to a soldier, Jeremiah Richard Foltz. She went to work as a dressmaker. In 1875, she moved to San Jose, California. She was too busy defending women rights, so she got a divorce.

In 1877, only men were allowed to become lawyers in California. Clara wrote a bill that allowed anyone to become a lawyer if they studied. It took awhile for the bill to pass. Clara became California's first female lawyer on September 5, 1878. After that she organized clubs teaching women about the rights they had. She helped people with different problems. She died in 1934.

Clara Shortridge Foltz is my hero because she defended women’s rights. She was very brave to go up and talk about her bill. It was smart of her that after she got the bill signed she talked to women about their freedoms. She told women, “Don’t be afraid of what others might think about your opinions.” She really wanted people to have freedom and not be scared. She is my hero.