DES MOINES, Iowa — Gertrude Rush was born in Texas in 1880 and moved to Iowa in 1907.
She graduated from Des Moines University in 1914 and eventually went on to pass the Iowa Bar Exam in 1918 making her the first black female lawyer in the state.
When she was denied entry into the American Bar Association, Rush and five others founded the National Bar Association.
Throughout her career, Rush remained a civil rights activist and a supporter of women's right to vote.