Shirley M. Hufstedler, the nation’s first secretary of education, died late last month in Glendale, California. She was 90 years old.
In addition to her pioneering role as Secretary of Education in the administration of Jimmy Carter, Hufstedler served for 11 years as a justice of U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. After leaving government service upon the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president, Hufstedler practiced law in California for 20 years. She also served on the board of trustees of the California Institute of Technology for 39 years.
Hufstedler was a native of Denver, Colorado. She graduated from the University of New Mexico at the age of 19 with a degree in business administration. She earned a law degree at Stanford University four years later.