Lena Olive Smith

Minnesota’s First Black Woman Lawyer and Tireless Advocate for Justice

Lena Olive Smith was the first Black woman to practice law in Minnesota. Her career extended from 1921 to her death in 1966. She was a trailblazer in the field of law and an indefatigable proponent of civil rights and racial equality, decades before the civil rights movement became visible to the public at large in the 1960’s.

At a time when African-Americans had created a small but thriving community of churches, newspapers, and businesses in the Twin Cities, insulting and sometimes violent racial discrimination and segregation were still an ever-present fact of life. While sometimes more covert, such challenges were just as insidious as in the South. Lena Smith fearlessly confronted that reality and promoted change in and through the courts, through her connections with business leaders and politicians, and by using the power of the press. She challenged discrimination in housing, exclusion in public places and in employment, racial abuse in all forms, and she worked tirelessly to bring about a more just and open society in Minnesota.

Note: The information we share here draws heavily on the scholarship of Professor Ann Juergens, whose 2001 article in the William Mitchell Law Review remains the most comprehensive resource on Smith's legal career. Additional sources include MNopedia and the Hennepin History Museum.

Early Life and Legal Career

Born in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1885, Lena Smith moved with her father to Buxton, Iowa in 1905, a coal-mining town notable for its large Black population. After her father's death in 1906, she and her family relocated to Minneapolis. Smith held various jobs, including working as a hairdresser and in a mortuary business, before becoming a real estate agent.

As a realtor, Smith witnessed racial steering and housing discrimination firsthand. These experiences motivated her to pursue a law degree. She enrolled at Northwestern College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law) and graduated in 1921. For more than two decades, she was believed to be the only Black woman lawyer practicing in Minnesota.

Key Achievements

Challenging Theater Segregation (1916)
Smith and four Black men attempted to sit in the "white section" of the Pantages Theatre. Denied entry, they sued under Minnesota's public accommodations law. Though unsuccessful, the lawsuit contributed to the theater ending its segregation practices.

Winning a Landmark Housing Case (1921)
Just eleven days after being admitted to the bar, Smith sued two white landowners on behalf of an elderly Black couple who had paid into a contract for deed for 25 years. The sellers claimed the payments were rent, but Smith won the case, securing title to the property for her clients.

Founding the Minneapolis Urban League (1925)
Smith was a founding member of the local Urban League chapter, joining national efforts to expand access to housing and employment for Black Minnesotans.

Reversing a Wrongful Conviction (1928)
Smith secured a new trial for a young Black man wrongfully convicted of rape in a trial rife with racial bias and prosecutorial misconduct. The man was freed after the retrial.

Expanding Educational Access (1929)
Smith helped overturn the University of Minnesota's rejection of a highly qualified Black woman applicant to its nursing program. The university had denied her admission explicitly on the basis of race.

Leading the Minneapolis NAACP (1930–1939)
Smith became the first woman to serve as president of the Minneapolis NAACP. Over her 10-year leadership, she worked closely with the national office to protect political and legal rights for Black Americans and advocate for open housing.

Fighting Employment Discrimination (1930s)
With the Urban League, Smith confronted systemic labor discrimination after a survey revealed that most local unions prohibited or discouraged Black membership.

Defending the Arthur and Edith Lee Family (1931)
Smith represented the Lee family after they bought a home in a previously all-white neighborhood. They endured violent protests from white residents, but with Smith’s legal help, they remained in their home at 4600 Columbus Avenue. The home is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Challenging Hotel Discrimination (1939)
Smith won a case against the Nicollet Hotel, which had refused to serve a Black attendee of the Standard Oil Dealers Association convention. The court awarded damages and fees.

Recognition and Legacy

Smith was listed in Who’s Who Among Women Lawyers in 1939, a rare honor for a Black woman at the time.

She remained an active civil rights attorney until her death at age 81 in 1966. Her home at 3905 5th Avenue South is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Minnesota Association of Black Women Lawyers holds an annual luncheon in her honor. Her story continues to be told in classrooms, courtrooms, and communities striving for justice. Smith is a touchstone in TPT documentaries such as North Star: Minnesota’s Black Pioneers (2004) and Jim Crow of the North (2018), as well as the Minnesota Star Tribune's new podcast, Ghost of a Chance (2025). Renaming public spaces in her honor is a fitting tribute to her extraordinary life and to the ongoing struggles for racial justice and housing justice.

References

Juergens, A. (2001). Lena Olive Smith: A Minnesota Civil Rights Lawyer of Distinction. William Mitchell Law Review, 28(1), 397–467. https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/facsch/61/

Hennepin History Museum. (n.d.). Lena Olive Smith: Minnesota’s first African-American female lawyer. Retrieved from https://hennepinhistory.org/lena-olive-smith/