Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman on Supreme Court, dies at 93
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor FILE PHOTO: Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 25, 2012 in Washington, DC. O'Connor died at the age of 93. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images) (T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday, officials said. She was 93.
In a statement released Friday, the Supreme Court said O’Connor died in Phoenix of “complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness.”
“As President Reagan said when first introducing her to the American people, she was a woman for all seasons,” the statement read.
Plans for her funeral were not immediately released.
“A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice,” Chief Justice John Roberts said Friday.
“She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor. We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.”
Born in El Paso, Texas, on March 26, 1930, O’Connor graduated from Stanford Law School near the top of her class in 1952 but struggled to find work because of her gender. She eventually convinced the county attorney in San Mateo County, California, to take her on as a deputy county attorney, a role she held for one year.
In 1954, while her husband John Jay O’Connor II was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, with the Army Judge Advocate General Corps, she served as a civilian attorney with the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps. She returned to the the Southwest to practice law in 1957, settling in Phoenix.
From 1965 to 1969, she served as Arizona’s assistant attorney general. She left that role after being appointed to a vacant seat in the Arizona State Senate and subsequently won reelection twice. In 1972, she became the first woman in America to serve as majority leader in a state legislature.
In 1975, she successfully ran to become a trial judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court, a role she held until then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt appointed her to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. Two years later, President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to serve on the Supreme Court.
She spent 24 years as a justice, from 1981 until her retirement in 2006.
After leaving the bench, O’Connor founded civics education platform iCivics.
She is survived by her sons Scott (Joanie) O’Connor, Brian (Shawn) O’Connor, and Jay (Heather) O’Connor; six grandchildren, Courtney, Adam, Keely, Weston, Dylan and Luke; and her brother, Alan Day, Sr.
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Through the years (Original Caption) Sandra Day O'Connor (right) is shown in family album picture from Easter 1940, taken on family ranch. Her mother, Ada Mae Day, holds brother Alan, who now runs the ranch. Sister Ann is in middle. President Reagan has nominated Mrs. O'Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years circa 1970: Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to achieve the office, appointed by President Ronald Reagan. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images) (MPI/Getty Images)
Through the years (Original Caption) Sandra O'Connor, named today the U.S. Supreme Court Judge by President Reagan, poses in her Appeals Court office with family members. Left to right: Sons Jay, Brian, Sandra O'Connor, husband John and Scott. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years Judge Sandra Day O'Connor is shown round the US Capitol by speaker O'Neill, 14th July 1981. She has been chosen by President Ronald Reagan to be the first woman to hold office in the US Supreme Court. The group, left to right, are Attorney General Smith-French, Judge O'Connor, Speaker Thomas 'Tip' O'Neill and Representative Peter Rodino. (Photo by Gene Forte/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images) (Gene Forte/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - JULY 15: U.S. President Ronald Reagan speaks with newly nominated Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the White House, July 15, 1981 in Washington, DC. O'Connor is the first woman appointed to the high court. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images) (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Through the years PARADISE VALLEY, AZ -- CIRCA 1981: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (R) and her husband, John Jay O'Connor, at their home, circa 1981, in Paradise Valley, Arizona (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images). (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Through the years PARADISE VALLEY, AZ -- CIRCA 1981: Supreme Court Justice Judge Sandra Day O'Connor stands outside of her home, circa 1981, in Paradise Valley, Arizona (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images). (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON- JUNE 17: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy whispers to fellow Justice Sandra Day O'Conner at a groundbreaking ceremony at the Supreme Court building June 17, 2003 in Washington, DC. The court facilities are being modernized, the first rehabilitation since the building first opened in 1935. The first phase of the project will be construction of an underground annex to provide space for the court police department. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Through the years Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor examines a life-size bronze statue of James Madison, one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution, while on a tour of the National Constitution Center (NCC) Site May 2, 2002 in Philadelphia, PA. The statue will eventually be part of Signers'' Hall when the NCC opens July 4, 2003. This is the first time Justice O''Connor, who is a member of the Center's Distinguished Senior Advisors Panel, has visited the NCC site. (Photo by Don Murray / Getty Images) (Don Murray/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 5: US Supreme Court Justices (L-R, Seated) Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, (L-R, Standing) Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice David H. Souter, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and Stephen G. Breyer pose for pictures at the US Supreme Court December 5, 2003 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - MARCH 8: Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor smiles as she attends a discussion March 8, 2004 at Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The Council for Excellence in Government awarded the Elliot Richardson Prize for Excellence in Public Service to O'Connor. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 14: (AFP OUT) U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (C) smiles as he is sworn-in at the Justice Department by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (R) as U.S. President George W. Bush (L), Alberto Gonzales's mother, Maria Gonzales (2nd-L), and Alberto Gonzales's wife, Rececca Gonzales (2nd-R), look on February 14, 2005 in Washington, DC. Gonzales replaces former Attorney General John Ashcroft. (Photo by Martin H. Simon-Pool/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 31: Chief Justice John G. Roberts (L) and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor pose for photographers at the U.S. Supreme Court October 31, 2005 in Washington DC. Earlier in the day U.S. President George W. Bush nominated judge Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor who is retiring once her replacement is confirmed by the Senate. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Through the years PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 04: Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is escorted off the field after participating in the coin toss for the BCS National Championship Rose Bowl Game between the Texas Longhorns and the USC Trojans at the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) (Harry How/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - APRIL 12: In this handout provided by The White House, U.S. President George W. Bush (L) and First Lady Laura Bush (R) welcome retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and her husband John J. O'Connor to the White House for a retirement dinner in honor of Justice O'Connor April 12, 2006 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morse/White House via Getty Images) (The White House/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - MAY 20: Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (L) gets the attention of U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan during the Sandra Day O'Connor Project on The State of The Judiciary's forum "Striking the Balance: Fair and Independent Courts in a New Era" at Georgetown University Law Center May 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. A former Dean of the Harvard Law School, Kagan's name has been included on many peoples' short list of possible candidates to the Supreme Court to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring this year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - AUGUST 12: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) presents the Medal of Freedom to retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House August 12, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama presented the medal, the highest civilian honor in the United States, to 16 recipients during the ceremony. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years LONG BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 26: Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, (L) and Former Associate Justice Sandra Day O' Connor speak during the Maria Shriver Women's Conference at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 26, 2010 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (Ret.) Sandra Day O' Conner addresses the audience during the TIME Summit On Higher Education on October 18, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
