Elizabeth Anderson Hishon
I have tried in my blog to
recognize and publicize women’s achievements in many centuries. Elizabeth
Anderson Hishon is a twentieth century woman of unique and significant courage
who should be known and honored. Her successful battle with sex discrimination
in the legal profession still resonates in the profession.
Her battle for justice finally was challenged all the way to the Supreme Court,
and she won there.
Elizabeth Anderson was born in Cortland, New York, on August
26, 1944 and spent her childhood in South Carolina. She graduated from
Wellesley College and received her law degree in 1972 at Columbia
University Law School where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone
scholar.
She was recruited by King & Spalding in Atlanta,
Georgia, where she was one of two women associates. She was told
that with satisfactory evaluations she would be in line for partnership within
6 or 7 years. Fine evaluations did not lead to partnership in 1976 or
1978 or 1979 although male colleagues were advanced. She was offered a
settlement if she would leave the firm quietly. She
refused and the firm retaliated by withholding pay raises (even
cost-of-living) and curtailing her assignments.
Her specialty is real estate; Robert, her husband’s specialty is
taxes.
She
filed a complaint of sex-based discrimination with the EEOC on November 19,
1979. Ten days later she was issued a Notice of Right to Sue on the basis
of sex discrimination. King & Spalding claimed they could
exclude women, that Title VII did not apply to partnerships. Tried in
U.S. District Court in 1970 and the Eleventh Circuit Court she lost in
both courts, but the Supreme Court with Justice Burger agreed she had a right
to sue for alleged discrimination, that Title VII covers partnership as a
benefit of employment. It was a unanimous decision. This case
was decided in June 198 4; both parties gave up, still asserting each
was right.
Betsy
Anderson Hishon said, “I hope it will have a wide impact on women and
minorities in the profession.” The historic ruling changed the landscape of
partnerships and made it possible for many women to achieve their goals in the
field of law. However, Betsy’s contribution in assuring that opportunity
has never been recognized. Many attorneys, including female attorneys,
don’t even know who Betsy Hishon is or the story of her fight.
Sadly,
Betsy died in 1999 without her courage and achievement ever being
celebrated.
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