On Jan. 23, Texas lost one of its legal legends, Louise Ballerstedt Raggio. She was 91. Named the “Mother of Family Law in Texas,” Raggio was a well-known civil rights activist and champion for the rights of women and children in Texas.
Raggio was instrumental in establishing property rights for women in Texas by advocating for the passage of the Texas Marital Property Act of 1967.
In addition to helping the state’s women and children gain legal rights, Raggio garnered a long list of firsts: the only woman in her class at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, the first female assistant district attorney in Dallas, the first female State Bar director, just to name a few. On the TexasBarBooks blog, you can find an autobiographical video and tribute to Raggio.