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Honoring the Memory of Alumna and Professor Janet Mary Riley

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Janet Mary Riley, A'36, L'52, H'05, helped eliminate much racial discrimination in Louisiana law and was also considered a feminist hero.

Throughout her life, Janet Mary Riley, A'36, L'52, H'05, encompassed the ideals of equality, scholarship, philanthropy and public service. She was a Loyola University New Orleans alumna, librarian and College of Law Professor Emerita. Though she eventually succumbed to cancer on July 5, 2008, her incredible life of 92 years serves as an example of the amazing accomplishments one can achieve through perseverance and determination.

Her Early Career

A lifelong New Orleanian, Janet Mary first earned her undergraduate degree from Ursuline College, then an affiliate of Loyola. She became a teacher and eventually earned a master's degree in library science from Louisiana State University. She started working as a librarian at Loyola in 1941, left in 1943 to serve as a librarian at area military posts, and then returned to Loyola in 1945 as a law librarian. She first began taking law courses to familiarize herself with the language and terminology of the law, but she went on to earn her juris doctor in 1952.

However, opportunities for women to practice law in the 1950s were few and far between. Antonio Papale, Loyola's law dean, offered Janet Mary a position as assistant professor and, upon accepting, she became the first woman to hold a full-time law school teaching faculty position in New Orleans, and the seventh to hold such a position in the United States. She remained teaching at Loyola for 30 years.

Becoming a Champion of Equality
But teaching was only the beginning for Janet Mary. She earned an LL.M. from the University of Virginia in 1960. And during her tenure as a law professor, she wrote the defendants' brief for the case Lombard vs. Louisiana, in which three African-Americans were arrested for sitting down at a lunch counter reserved for white customers. Thanks in part to her work, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the convictions in 1963, eliminating much racial discrimination in Louisiana law.

In addition, Janet Mary compiled the first casebook on Louisiana's community property law. She also served as a Louisiana Law Institute reporter, where she led the revision of Louisiana community property laws that deemed the husband "head and master of the community." Her suggestion of an "equal management" plan that would let either spouse manage community property, with limited exceptions, initially failed, but it was revived later by State Sen. Tom Casey. In 1979, it became law, elevating Janet Mary to the status of feminist hero.

Continued Loyola Involvement
Even though she retired from Loyola in 1986, Janet Mary still retained a close relationship with the university. She taught seminars and courses as an adjunct professor until 1997. And the Janet Mary Riley Distinguished Professorship was established in 2002 when she and other law faculty members donated funds for its creation. Janet Mary Riley will continue to be remembered through this professorship.

How Will You Be Remembered
Contact Monique Gaudin Gardner at 504-861-5442 or kmaney@loyno.edu to discuss your options for creating a legacy that involves Loyola. Click here for smart gift ideas.

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