Janet Reno

Have you ever heard about the first woman to be the United States Attorney General?

Janet Reno was born in July 21, 1938 in Miami, Florida. She was the oldest of four children of Henry and Jane Wood Reno. Her dad was a police reporter in Miami and her mom was an investigative reporter after their children grew up. Janet’s parents cared about their children’s education. She went to public school in Miami and was a debating champ in high school. Everyone in her class said that she was the most intelligent person. Janet went to Cornell University where she studied chemistry. In the summer she worked for the clerk at the Dade County Sheriff’s Department to help pay for college. She’d always sneak down at lunch so she could watch a group of lawyers in action. Then she went to Harvard Law School. There were more than 500 students in her class at Harvard but there were only sixteen women!

Although Janet was very smart and well educated she was rejected from a job at Steel, Hector & Davis law firm. Janet Reno got frustrated when she heard that she got rejected because she was woman. She took another job in Miami and eventually started her own firm. Then she became the first female state attorney in Florida. Janet made sure to hire women for her office. She was re-elected four more time. While Janet was in office she helped improve the juvenile justice system and made divorced fathers pay child support.

In 1993 President Clinton nominated Janet Reno to be the first woman Attorney General in the United States, she was sworn in on March 12, 1993. She served until 2001. In 2002 Janet ran for Governor if Florida, but she lost.

By Harold and Jack, fourth grade, 2006