Reidsville in Rockingham County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Susie Sharp

1907-1996

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 11, 2024

1. Susie Sharp Marker

Inscription. Was first female chief justice of N.C. Supreme Court, elected in 1974. First female superior court judge & associate justice. Lived 3 blks. W.

Erected 2023 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number J-125.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Law Enforcement • Women. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1974.

Location. 36° 21.54′ N, 79° 39.959′ W. Marker is in Reidsville, North Carolina, in Rockingham County. It is at the intersection of South Main Street and Lindsey Street, on the right when traveling south on South Main Street. The marker is located beside the sidewalk, near the northwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 202 South Main Street, Reidsville NC 27320, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Main Street United Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); David S. Reid (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Saint Paul United Methodist Church (about 700 feet away); 9/11 Memorial (about 700 feet away); First Baptist Church (about 800 feet away); Reidsville Sesquicentennial (about 800 feet away); Piedmont Railroad (approx. 0.2 miles away); Governor Reid House (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Reidsville.

Also see . . .
1. Susie Marshall Sharp (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

In 1926 she entered law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the only woman in her class, and graduated Order of the Coif. In 1929, Sharp went into private practice with her father in the firm of Sharp
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 10, 2024

2. Susie Sharp Marker
Looking south along South Main Street; Lindsey Street is in the right background.
& Sharp. In 1949, Governor Kerr Scott appointed her a state Superior Court judge, making her the first female judge in the history of the state. Judge Sharp was re-appointed by successive governors, and in 1962, Governor Terry Sanford made Sharp the first female Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Justice Sharp was elected by the people that November and again in November 1966 to a full eight-year term. In 1974, voters gave her 74 percent of the vote to elect her Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

(Submitted on May 13, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Susie Sharp 1907-1996. Excerpt:

During her years as a Superior Court judge, Sharp conducted court in two-thirds of the counties in North Carolina from the mountains to the sea. She still maintained Reidsville as her home base and continued to reside there with her now widowed mother. A judicial colleague from Rockingham County remarked that during this time period that Sharp “cemented her commitment to the judiciary and exposed the Bar and public of North Carolina to her remarkable mix of courage, industry, humor, compassion
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 10, 2024

3. Susie Sharp Marker
Looking north along South Main Street; Main Street United Methodist Church is in the right background.
and an incisive legal mind.” Sharp was a Supreme Court justice from 1962 until 1979 and was elected Chief Justice in 1974, the first female to be elected chief justice of any state supreme court in the United States.

(Submitted on May 13, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Order of the Coif (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

The Order of the Coif is an American honor society for law school graduates. A student who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top ten percent of their class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the Order.

(Submitted on May 14, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 321 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 13, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.