Rebecca Gordon was one of the first hundred women to graduate in Law from the University of Glasgow. She was born on 5th October 1911 in Glasgow where her father, Morris, was a commercial traveller. She matriculated in 1931 and at that time was living in the family home at 29 South Portland Street in the Gorbals. She had an excellent undergraduate record, passing all degree exams first time and taking fourth place in Scots Law and third place in prizes presented by the Faculty of Procurators. After graduating B.L. in 1935 and completing her apprenticeship she continued to work as a law clerk. It is interesting to note that when she married William Mair in 1941 the marriage certificate records her occupation as ‘solicitor’. This reflects the work she did but in common with quite a few of the first hundred women law graduates she does not appear to have sought formal admission to the roll of solicitors. In any event she did not remain in Scotland to further her career in Law. She and her husband emigrated to the United States. In the 1950s her address was listed in the General Council records as New Jersey where William worked as a carpet designer. Rebecca took American citizenship. She died in the United States in 2010, aged 99.
Sources
University of Glasgow Registry and General Council Records
Scotlands People
Ancestry. com
