Beulah Wheeler (February 13, 1896 – May 15, 1971) was an American attorney who, in 1924, became the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Iowa College of Law.[1]
Beulah Wheeler | |
|---|---|
 Yearbook Photo of Beulah Wheeler | |
| Born | February 13, 1896 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | May 15, 1971 (aged 75) |
| Education | Marshalltown High School |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University University of Iowa College of Law |
Early life
editBorn in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 13, 1896,[2][3] Wheeler—birth name either unknown or simply not recorded—was brought to Marshalltown, Iowa at the age of one by her adoptive parents, John Calvin and Mary Jennie Wheeler.[4] She graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1915,[5] then attended Iowa State University and the University of Iowa College of Law.
University of Iowa's College of Law
editIn May 1921, her story "Soapsud Dreams"—described by the author as a study in realism—won second place in a university-held short story contest.[6] Her speech “Uniform Marriage and Divorce Law" won first place in the Women's Extemporaneous Speech Contest hosted by the women's Forensic League with a prize money award of $10.[7] Her photo was featured in the 1922 Hawkeye for winning first place.[8] She also won athletic awards for playing basketball and volleyball.[9][10] Though she graduated in 1924,[1] she reportedly did not receive her law degree until forty-one years later.[citation needed]
The Iowa Bystander, a four-page weekly to serve as the voice of Iowa's African American community, featured Wheeler in an article in 1920. When she was a student at Iowa State College, she was noted to have "quadrupled" the subscriptions to the periodical for Topeka, Kansas.[11]
The Daily Iowan reported that she was one of two women taking the bar examinations, reported on June 11, 1924.[12]
After school, she moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, for three years and then to Chicago, where she practiced law.[6]
Later life
editIn March 1956, Wheeler, then 60 years old and residing in Chicago's 21st Congressional district, made what would prove an unsuccessful bid to unseat one of that District's incumbent Democratic Representatives, campaigning on the promise to "take the profit out of narcotics".[3][13]
Following that failed bid, Wheeler remained out of the public eye and, it appears, utterly forgotten. And thus it is, purely by virtue of the claim made for Social Security benefits in April 1966 (at which time Wheeler definitely still resided in Chicago), that we know of her death, aged 75, on May 15, 1971.[2]
References
edit- 1 2 Breaux, Richard M. "'Maintaining a Home for Girls': The Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs at the University of Iowa, 1919–1950", in Franklin, V.P., ed. (2004). Cultural Capital and Black Education: African American Communities and the Funding of Black Schooling, 1865 to the Present. Greenwich, CN: Information Age Publishing. p. 130. ISBN 1-59311-040-5. "The various African American women who lived in the Federation House in the early years blazed many trails as University of Iowa students. For example, in 1924, Beulah Wheeler became the first African American woman to graduate from the College of Law. Wheeler, a Marshalltown resident who lived at the Federation Home as a student, helped pay for her education by selling handmade art. She was one of many Arican American women who attended meetings of the IFCWC to express her appreciation for their continued support. During her senior year, Wheeler played on the clas basketball and volleyball teams, where she was one of 'the chief score makers for the seniors.' [...] In 1921, Wheeler won the Women's Extemporaneous Speech Contest with a speech entitled 'Uniform Marriage and Divorce Law.'"
- 1 2 "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KQM-48PR : Sat Apr 26 04:16:29 UTC 2025), Entry for Beulah Wheeler and Calvin Wheeler.
- 1 2 Howard, Robert (March 4, 1956). "DAWSON TAGET OF G.O.P. IN THE S. SIDE WARS; Ike's Decision to Run Will Help; Woman Seeks Office". Chicago Tribune. p. 6. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
Backed again by organization Democrats are two young attorneys who are serving their first terms - James Y. Carter, 3842 South Park way and Kenneth E. Wilson, 4548 South Parkway. Running against them is Beulah Wheeler, 60, of 4434 South Park way, a lawyer and University of Iowa graduate who wants to 'take the profit out of the narcotic traffic.'
- ↑ "Iowa, State Census, 1915", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24G-RN4Y : Sun Mar 10 00:28:30 UTC 2024), Entry for Beaulah Wheeler, 1915.
- ↑ "MANY YOUNG PEOPLE WILL ENTER COLLEGE; ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE OF LOCAL ALUMNI AND RESIDENTS ENROLL; FIFTY PER CENT CLASS OF 1915 CONTINUES WORK; Many of the Students Going to Colleges or Universities, and Some Will Do Post Graduate Work Here – lowa Colleges Claim Good Percentage—Some Interesting Figures". Evening Times-Republican. September 11, 1915. p. 6. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
Fine Showing of 1915 Class. The class of 1915 of the Marshalltown high school has set a new record for succeeding classes to excel. [...] The list of students from this city, arranged by classes and the schools they will attend, follows: Class of 1915-Pearl Adams. Harry Gabelman, Lyle Suter, Beulah Wheeler, State University of Iowa; Alice Havens. Francis Wilcox, Iowa State College;
- 1 2 "Women who paved the way at Iowa Law | College of Law - The University of Iowa". law.uiowa.edu. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Non-Literary Society Woman Given First Place in Extempore" (PDF). Daily Iowan. Iowa City, Iowa. January 21, 1921. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Women's Extemporaneous Contest". University of Iowa Hawkeye yearbook, 1922. 1922. p. 325. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Preserving Black History in Iowa City". Iowa City. March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Seniors Defeat Frosh In Volley Ball Game" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. November 28, 1923. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Beulah Wheeler student at Iowa State working for Bystander traveling in Kansas". The Bystander. August 26, 1920. p. 2. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Fifty-Eight Law Students Finish Bar Examinations" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. June 11, 1924. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ↑ "MANY YOUNG PEOPLE WILL ENTER COLLEGE; ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE OF LOCAL ALUMNI AND RESIDENTS ENROLL; FIFTY PER CENT CLASS OF 1915 CONTINUES WORK; Many of the Students Going to Colleges or Universities, and Some Will Do Post Graduate Work Here – lowa Colleges Claim Good Percentage—Some Interesting Figures". Chicago Tribune. April 8, 1966. p. C2. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
21ST HOUSE DISTRICT: J. Horace Gardner, 6014 Indiana av., veteran Republican committeeman of the 20th ward, is his party's choice for the single G. O. P. nomination. [...] Two first term Democratic representatives, James Y. Carter, 40, of 3842 South Park way, and Kenneth E. Wilson, 36, of 4548 South Park way, both attorneys, are expected to win easily over Beulah Wheeler, 4434 South Park way