Stephanie Kulp Seymour

For the model, see Stephanie Seymour.

Stephanie Kulp Seymour
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office October 16, 2005
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
In office January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2000
Preceded by	Monroe G. McKay
Succeeded by	Deanell Reece Tacha
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
In office November 2, 1979 – October 16, 2005
Appointed by	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629
Succeeded by	Jerome Holmes
Personal details
Born	(1940-10-16) October 16, 1940 (age 84) Battle Creek, Michigan
Education	Smith College (BA) Harvard University (JD)

Stephanie Kulp Seymour (born October 16, 1940) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She was the first female federal court judge in Oklahoma.^[1]

Background and career

Seymour was born in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1940, the second oldest of four children. Seymour and her family traveled extensively when she was young, visiting all but three states by car by the time she went to college. Though neither of her parents had a college education, they strongly influenced Seymour to obtain the highest level of education possible.^[2] Seymour received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College in 1962, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, and her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1965.^[3][4] At Harvard Law School, she was one of 23 women in a class of 550.^[4]

Seymour was in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts from 1965 to 1966, in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1966 to 1967, in Houston, Texas from 1968 to 1969, and in Tulsa again from 1971 to 1979. In Houston, she was the first woman hired by Baker Botts.^[3]

Federal judicial service

Seymour was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on August 28, 1979, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 31, 1979, and received her commission on November 2, 1979. She served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 2000. She assumed senior status on October 16, 2005.^[3]

See also

• List of United States federal judges by longevity of service

References

1. Crawford, Jan (October 19, 2020). "These three trailblazers paved the way for women in judiciary". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
2. Nykolaiszyn, Juliana (May 24, 2011). "Oral history interview with Stephanie Kulp Seymour". Inductees of the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oral History Project. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
3. Stephanie Kulp Seymour at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
4. Smith College Rally Day: Honors, Hats and a Secret Revealed, Smith College News Release (September 10, 2009).

External links

• Stephanie Kulp Seymour at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Voices of Oklahoma interview. First person interview conducted on September 5, 2019, with Stephanie Kulp Seymour.
• Oral History Interview with Stephanie Kulp Seymour

Legal offices
Preceded by Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 1979–2005	Succeeded by Jerome Holmes
Preceded by Monroe G. McKay	Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 1994–2000	Succeeded by Deanell Reece Tacha