Those who know Mary Cacioppo describe her as a fearless leader and a pioneer.
Born in Akron in 1923, Cacioppo graduated form Garfield High School and received a BA from Kent State University. She was the only woman in the Akron Law School (now The University of Akron School of Law) graduating class of 1945 and entered a field dominated by men.
Cacioppo’s history is one of firsts. She served as the first woman assistant law director in the city of Akron, first female chief prosecutor, first woman to serve on Akron Board of Zoning Appeals, and first appointed female referee to the Domestic Relations Court. Upon surrendering her seat in 1992 due to age requirements, Cacioppo traveled all over the state trying cases as a visiting judge and hearing appellate cases, including several sessions on the Ohio Supreme Court.
Cacioppo entered politics at age 16 as a junior campaign manager for the late Mary McGowan and later worked for Democratic candidates at the local, state and national levels. She also made a name for herself by being involved with elections in a different way when she was denied the right to vote because she had kept her name after marriage and was unable to prove marital status. By noon that day the quick-thinking and fast-acting Cacioppo had a ruling that admonished the Board of Elections for not knowing that Ohio law does not require a woman to take her husband’s surname.
“Mary Cacioppo is a Grand Lady in every sense-intelligent and compassionate but firm and always prepared,” said noted Akron attorney Paul F. Adamson. “She loves the law and respects those attorneys who come before her to argue zealously for their causes. She was a trailblazer for all the many women who have followed her into the legal profession, and she is a role model for all attorneys, men and women, in integrity and the ethical practice of law.”
–Zachary Jackson