Preceded by Monroe McKay Succeeded by Jerome Holmes Succeeded by Deanell Tacha Name Stephanie Seymour | Appointed by Jimmy Carter Role Judge Preceded by Seat established | |
 | ||
Born October 16, 1940 (age 83)
Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S. ( 1940-10-16 ) Alma mater Smith College
Harvard University Education Harvard Law School, Smith College | ||
Stephanie Kulp Seymour (born October 16, 1940 in Battle Creek, Michigan) is a Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Contents
Early life and education
Seymour was born in Battle Creek, MI in 1940, the second oldest of four children. Seymour and her family traveled extensively when she was young, visiting all but three states by car by the time she went to college. Though both of her parents did not have a college education, they strongly influenced Stephanie to obtain the highest level of education possible. Seymour received a B.A. from Smith College in 1962, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1965. At Harvard Law School, she was one of 23 women in a class of 550. Seymour met her husband and moved to Oklahoma with him, where she had her first job in Tulsa, OK.
Career
Prior to joining the federal bench, Seymour was in private practice for fifteen years in Boston, Houston, and Tulsa. In Houston, TX, Seymour was the first woman hired by Baker Botts. Seymour moved to Singapore for her husband's job and by the end of the year, they were divorced. She soon came back to the U.S. where she went to work full-time at another law firm and met her current husband, Tom Seymour. They married in 1972.
Judicial service
Seymour was nominated to the Tenth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter on August 28, 1979, to a new seat created by Congress. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 31, 1979. Seymour served as Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit from 1994–2000. Seymour was the first woman judge on the Tenth Circuit and also the first woman Chief Judge of the circuit. She left the Chief judgeship in 2000. Judge Seymour assumed senior status on October 16, 2005.