Genevieve R. Cline

Genevieve Rose Cline was born in Warren, Ohio. She attended Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio, and graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College, in Berea, Ohio, with her law degree in 1921. The next year, Cline became the first woman to serve as an appraiser of merchandise for the United States Custom Service. The U.S. Customs Service assigned Cline to be the appraiser of merchandise at Cleveland, Ohio. In 1928, Cline became the first woman to be appointed as a judge on the United States Customs Court. She served in this position in New York City, New York, for the next twenty-five years. During her time in Ohio, Cline was actively involved in the Federation of Women's Clubs, serving as president of the Cleveland Federation of Women's Clubs for six years and as chairman for two years of the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs.