Hon. Sara Soffel, J.D. 1916

Honorable Sara Mathilde Soffel was one of the first female graduates at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the first female County Court Judge appointed in the State of Pennsylvania by Governor John S. Fisher in 1930. A Pittsburgh native, Soffel was raised in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh. She was the daughter of Jacob Soffel, an alderman and crier in the old Common Pleas Court in Pittsburgh, as well as a veteran of the Civil War. Her older sister, Miss Catherine Soffel, raised Judge Soffel after their mother died when Soffel was young, who would later in life serve as principal of the American Avenue Public School. The middle child, Miss Phoebe Soffel managed their father's real estate and insurance business in Mount Washington.

Soffel graduated from Central High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from Wellesley College in 1908. Following her graduation, she taught Latin at Central and Schenley High Schools in Pittsburgh for eight years. During this period, she also taught Botany and English at Crafton High School. She would go on to law school while still teaching.

The graduation in 1916 marked a significant milestone for the law school, as Soffel, alongside Marie Grace Clark Gallagher and Lily Virginia Pickersgill, was among the first three women to successfully complete their legal studies. Notably, Soffel was the sole individual among them to complete the entire course of study at the law school, making her the first woman to undergo her legal studies entirely at the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated as the top student in her class, earning her a cash prize and a teaching fellowship at the law school for the 1917-1918 academic year. She was admitted to the Allegheny County Bar on October 6, 1916. In 1922, she became Assistant City Solicitor for Pittsburgh, serving under Mayor William A. Magee until 1926. In 1928, she was appointed Director of the Bureau of Women and Children in the State Department of Labor and Industry.

Soffel later distinguished herself by being the first woman elected to a judgeship in Pennsylvania when she was appointed by Governor John S. Fisher as Judge of the County Court Judge for Allegheny. The following year, Soffel was elected to the same post for a ten-year term. In 1939, she was the first woman to run for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Despite her running on both major parties' tickets and garnering 742,000 votes statewide with 300,000 more votes than the Democratic runner-up and 28,000 greater than the Republican runner-up. However, both the Democratic and the Republican party establishments refused her the nomination. In November 1941, she was elected to the Common Pleas Court, where she remained until her departure in January 1962, where she would then return to practicing law at Buchanan, Ingersoll, Rodewald, Kyle & Buerger before retiring in 1968.

Of what is known, Soffel never married and her recreational pursuits included fishing, climbing, and watching baseball (she was an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates). Although not seen as a radical figure, Soffel supported family planning during a time when contraception was a hot-button issue. Despite this stance, it could be argued that Soffel was not what we would now consider a feminist. While actively involved in various organizations such as the Women's City Club, Twentieth Century Club, Pittsburgh Wellesley Club, American Association of University Women, and the Business and Professional Women's Club, Soffel seemingly held negative views about contemporary women. She believed that women lacked culinary skills, could not take care of children, and underestimated the effort required to maintain a marriage—despite her own deviation from societal norms—a perspective that might suggest that her expectations of other women were influenced by the prevailing misogynistic values of the era. Many of Soffel’s cases presided over child custody, juvenile court, and divorce; oftentimes granting divorces to men who complained of their wives’ refusal to prepare breakfast or inability to maintain their households in order.

Soffel passed away at the age of 89 at Wightman Health Center in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on October 5, 1976. Soffel's legacy is one of pioneering achievement and service in the legal and judicial spheres of Pennsylvania. From her trailblazing career as one of the first female law students, attorneys, and judges in Pittsburgh, Soffel paved the way for many women to follow. Her contributions extended beyond the courtroom, encompassing roles in education, public service, and advocacy for family planning. Despite the complexities of her views on gender roles, her impact on Pennsylvania's legal landscape and her dedication to justice remain enduring aspects of her remarkable life. Hon. Sara M. Soffel's legacy continues to inspire reflection on the evolving roles of women in society.