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Law and Legacy in the Bluegrass State: Lena Madesin Phillips

Anna Lena Phillips was born on September 15, 1881, in Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky, to Alice Phillips and Judge William Henry Phillips. At eleven, she adopted the name Lena Madesin in honor of her brother, who studied medicine in Paris. Through Lena’s incredible determination, she became the first honors graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Lena began her education at the Jessamine Female Institute when she was just seven years old, demonstrating a remarkable talent for piano, which earned her a Magna Cum Laude graduation. She pursued further studies in music at the Women’s College of Baltimore, now known as Goucher College. Due to illness resulting from exhaustion, Lena returned home to recover. During this time, Lena sustained an injury in her arm from a fall that resulted in nerve damage in her arm. Which prevented her from continuing her piano studies and ultimately led her to withdraw from the Women’s College of Baltimore. She then took on a teaching position at the Jessamine Female Institute, focusing on music.

In 1951, Phillips, whose father had served as a county judge for over forty years, began her legal studies at the University of Kentucky. While attending the College of Law, she assisted her father and became active in local politics. In 1917, Phillips graduated with full honors, making history as the first woman in her class to do so. Upon her return to Nicholasville, she established her legal practice.

Phillips then became the attorney for the Young Women’s Christian Association and served as secretary for its National War Work Council. In 1918, she relocated to New York City to organize the National Business Women’s Committee for war efforts. By July 1919, Phillips hosted a convention in St. Louis, Missouri, where she founded the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. Which advocated for women’s equality, particularly in economic arenas, while addressing issues like child labor and international peace. She served as the club’s president from 1926 to 1929 and helped launch its journal, Independent Woman, in 1920. In 1930, the federation endorsed the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and Phillips traveled extensively to raise awareness for its mission.

Lena earned a master’s degree in law from New York University in 1923 and began working in private practice in New York. From 1928 to 1929, Phillips embarked on a goodwill tour of Europe to further promote the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, which ultimately led to the formation of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women on August 26, 1930. She served as its first president until 1947. Additionally, she presided over the National Council of Women from 1931 to 1935 and led the International Conference of Women in 1933.

In 1935, Phillips left her legal practice to become an associate editor and columnist for the Pictorial Review. Her role within the International Federation required recurring trips to Europe, where she worked diligently to support and rebuild clubs and federations after World War II. She was also active in war-relief initiatives and the United Nations, later chairing the First International Conference on Public Information. Phillips remained committed to her advocacy work until her passing in Marseilles, France, while traveling to the Middle East. Phillips was returned to Jessamine County, Kentucky, and was laid to rest at Maple Grove Cemetery in Nicholasville. A historical highway marker was placed on US 27 South of the city to commemorate her contributions and mark her birthplace.