Home > Carnegie Center > Arizona Women's Hall of Fame > Inductees > Sorin, Sarah Herring
Sarah Herring Sorin
1861-1914
Inducted in 1985
Used by permission from the Arizona Historical Society
Sarah Herring Sorin, the first woman lawyer in Arizona, also became the
first female lawyer from Arizona admitted to practice law before the U.S.
Supreme Court in April of 1906. In addition, she was the first woman
lawyer to argue a case before the highest court without an accompanying
male lawyer in 1913. She won the case.
In her first appearance before the Supreme Court, Sarah Sorin was representing
the Phelps Dodge Corporation. One newspaper wrote: “The case was
that of James H. Work against the United Globe Mining Company, a contest
for the possession of the Big Johnny mine. As a result of Mrs. Sorin’s
victory before the highest court of America, the Phelps-Dodge interests,
owners of the United Globe, have undisputed possession of the Big Johnny
and it is expected that they will proceed without delay to develop the
mine, which gives rich promise.”
In making her appearance in Washington, Sarah. Sorin was following in
her father’s footsteps; in fact, in was under his tutelage that she
first studied law. But by the time she stood before the Supreme Court,
it was clear to everybody in the Arizona Territory that Sarah Sorin was
standing beside – not behind – her father. The father and daughter
were partners in a Tombstone law firm called Herring & Sorin.
Sarah Sorin practiced law throughout the Arizona Territory, developing
a specialty in mining law and arguing many of the state’s important
mining cases. In her practice, she represented a variety of clients before
local, state and federal courts. During the time that she practiced,
only men were allowed to serve on juries.
The Tombstone Epitaph described Sarah Sorin’s talents: “Mrs.
Sorin is at perfect ease in a courtroom and commands the respect of both
judge and jury and wins the admiration of the bar for the graceful manner
in which she handles her case,” the newspaper wrote. “She is
never at a loss for authorities, being so thoroughly prepared as to have
references at her fingers’ end, and no matter how complicated the
issue, she possesses that happy facility of elucidation that most generally
wins for her client a favorable verdict …”
Sarah Herring was born in New York City on January 15, 1861. She was
educated in New York and in 1881 moved with her family to Arizona. Like
many women of her time, she began her career by teaching – becoming
the first woman teacher in Tombstone. Later, she studied law under her
father and returned to New York City to attend law school. In 1892, Sarah
Herring was admitted to practice law in Arizona.
In 1898, she married Thomas Sorin, a rancher and minerologist. As
a married woman, she struggled to balance her home life with an active
career. Colonel Herring and Sarah Sorin eventually moved their law
practice to Tucson. Later, when her father died, Mrs. Sorin moved to Globe
where she became the attorney for the Old Dominion Copper Co.
Unfortunately, Sarah became ill with influenza and died in 1914 at the
age of 53. Her work inspired Lorna Lockwood who became the first female
Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court in 1965.
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