Phoebe Couzins was one of the first female lawyers in the United States and the first female appointed to the U.S. Marshal service.

In 1871, Couzins graduated from Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...

, becoming the third woman in the United States to graduate from a law school. Establishing a practice in St. Louis, she wrote articles for Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B Anthony's publication, "The Revolution." Then, instead of practicing law, she rose to prominence as a suffragist. Like Stanton and Anthony, she opposed the Fifteenth Amendment

Fifteenth Amendment

The Fifteenth Amendment may refer to the:*Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race*Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, which allowed divorce to be legalised...

. Couzins was described as a riveting orator and lectured across the United States. In 1884, she testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the legal status of women. In 1887, Couzins became the first female U.S. Marshal in the country. From 1897 to 1909, Couzins reversed her position and campigned against women's suffrage.