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Diane Rynerson

Diane Rynerson was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and has had a life-long interest in Oregon history. She graduated from Portland State University and Santa Clara University School of Law. She was the first executive director of Oregon Women Lawyers and served for many years as executive director of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.

Author's Entries

  • Hattie Bratzel Kremen (1908–1996)

    Hattie Bratzel Kremen was Oregon’s first elected female district attorney. She was one of two women to serve as a district attorney in Oregon until the 1980s. After World War II, she worked as a court reporter for the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal in Germany. Hattie Bratzel was born on …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Mercedes Deiz (1917–2005)

    Mercedes Deiz was a trailblazer in the Oregon legal community. She was the first Black woman admitted to the Oregon State Bar and, when she was sworn in as a judge of the Multnomah County District Court on January 6, 1970, she became the first woman of color to be …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Noreen Ann Kelly Saltveit McGraw (1932–2021)

    Noreen Ann Kelly Saltveit McGraw was one of Oregon’s early female litigators and the first female municipal judge in Jackson County. She was among Oregon's first Spanish-speaking lawyers and was a founder of the first public-interest law firm in the state. Noreen Ann Kelly was born in Medford on March …

    Oregon Encyclopedia