Stephanie Hoops, J.D.
Author Stephanie Hoops is writing a historical fiction novel about Myra Bradwell, the pioneering lawyer, editor and women’s rights advocate. Grounded in real events, the novel explores perseverance, ambition and the power of the press in 19th-century America. Hoops became interested in Bradwell because, like her subject, she has worked as both a journalist and a lawyer.
Stephanie earned her undergraduate degree from University of Michigan (and remains a loyal Michigan Wolverines fan). She is also a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism. Her reporting has earned a New York Times Co. Chairman’s Award, along with honors from The Associated Press, Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing and the California News Publishers Association.
Stephanie lives in California with her husband and two dachshunds. When she isn’t writing, she can be found swimming, gardening and reading.
WHO WAS MYRA BRADWELL?
Once called a “modern Portia,” Myra Bradwell did more to open the legal profession to women than perhaps anyone in American history.
In 1869, she passed the Illinois bar exam with high honors. When the state denied her a law license on the grounds that she was a married woman, Bradwell fought back through her legal newspaper, transforming her personal ambition into a broader battle for women’s suffrage and professional rights.
Unlike Susan B. Anthony and other more confrontational suffragists, Bradwell pursued reform through institutional influence rather than public spectacle—perhaps one reason her story is less widely remembered today.
A FRIEND
Myra Bradwell counted Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln as friends. The Lincolns often visited the Bradwell home, and the Bradwells frequently visited the Lincolns. After President Lincoln's assassination, Myra and James helped Mary Todd Lincoln find a Chicago residence near theirs, and helped secure her release from the Bellevue Place Asylum in 1875.
A JOURNALIST
In October 1868, Myra Bradwell founded the Chicago Legal News. In later issues, she placed LEX VINCIT ("the law conquers") in the masthead. Ultimately, the publication would establish her as a female tycoon.
A WIFE
A WIFE
Myra Colby married James Bradwell on May 15, 1852. He was the brash son of an Englishman from a nearby grove in Cook County. With Myra's prodding, he became a lawyer and served as a Cook County judge. If it weren't for his confidence and partnership, one can only wonder if she would have moved beyond the limits placed on women of her time.