Judge Elizabeth Bass Golding (1900-2001) was one of the
first women to graduate New York University School of Law. She graduated
second in her class in 1921, beaten out of first place by a fellow law
student named Samuel Golding. She started a private law practice upon
graduation, but events would soon move her into a more public forum.
Prior to World War II, Elizabeth Bass Golding was an active member of
the National Council of Jewish Women, the Nassau County Women's Bar
Association, and served as a committee woman on the National Committee
on Social Legislation. During the Second World War, Golding was appointed
as vice chairperson for the Nassau County U.S.O., which operated out
of Hempstead, near Mitchell Field.
In the wake of the war, many American women realized that
they had
had
a profound effect upon society as they stepped in to fulfill roles during
the war. Elizabeth Bass Golding was determined to keep this momentum
going. In 1944, Golding was the founder of the Woman's Forum of Nassau
County (WFNC), a women's organization that worked to educate women regarding
important social issues and
to encourage women to lend their voices to the problems of the day.
She acted as the Forum's president until 1952. During the 1950s, Golding
became quite active in the political arena, becoming a committeewoman
for the Massapequa Republican Club. Her advocacy for improving society
would be rewarded in 1961, when she was appointed to the State Commission
of Corrections. She served as a state commissioner, overseeing Houses
of Detention for women and juveniles until 1963. That year, Nelson Rockefeller
appointed her to the newly formed Family Court of Nassau County, where
she would serve out the remainder of her career. In the 1970s, Judge
Golding organized a series of foster group homes for disadvantaged youths
under the program Hope for Youth. She retired in 1980.
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Women's Forum of Nassau County brochure
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Don't Underestimate Woman Power: A Blueprint
for Intergroup Action brochure
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The Judge Elizabeth Bass Golding Collection is composed
of three series: Personal papers, the Woman's Forum of Nassau County,
and Hope for Youth. Her personal papers include biographical sketches,
interviews, drafts of her memoirs, correspondence, wedding and retirement
documents, publications, speeches, and photographs. The Woman's Forum
of Nassau County is composed of forum proceedings, publications, member
biographical sketches, brochures and pamphlets, reports, radio transcripts,
correspondence, news clippings, audio recordings, and photographs. The
Hope for Youth series includes speeches, news clippings, photographs,
meeting minutes, real estate purchase documents, and legal memos.
