Caroline Kilgore, a woman who achieved several firsts, will be honored with a historical marker in Springfield Township by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, writes Michael Tanenbaum for Philly Voice.

Caroline Burnham Kilgore (1838–1909) who died in Swarthmore, was the first woman admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, the first woman to practice in a Pennsylvania court, in Orphans’ Court in the 1880s; and was among the first women to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

She dedicated much of her life to the suffragist movement.

According to law.upenn.edu, Dr. Caroline Burnham Kilgore was a woman who refused to take “no” for an answer.

Already possessing a medical degree, she was rejected in 1871 when she applied to University of Pennsylvania Law School and persevered for 10 years until they admitted her.

Likewise, after she voted that same year, Philadelphia election officials and Common Pleas Court refused to validate her ballot so she took her argument to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where her vote was again rejected.

The defeat spurred her to spend the rest of her life working to improve the lives of women.

Read more about the historical marker coming to Springfield that recognizes Caroline Burnhman Kilgore at Philly Voice.