Born: January 22, 1938
New York, New York

Died: March 16, 2023
Washington, DC

Gladys Kessler

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Nominated by William J. Clinton on March 22, 1994, to a seat vacated by Michael J. Boudin.
Confirmed by the Senate on June 15, 1994, and received commission on June 16, 1994.
Assumed senior status on January 22, 2007.

Other Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1977-1994

Education:
Cornell University, B.A., 1959
Harvard Law School, LL.B., 1962

Portrait Ceremony
Program of Ceremony: June 9, 2017

Artist
Danni Dawson, a professional artist and teacher for over 25 years, has exhibited her paintings both nationally and internationally. She has received a number of awards including the Allied Artist Award, the Salmagundi Painting Prize, the Audubon Award, as well as an award from the National Academy of Art and Design.

Ms. Dawson has painted more than 300 portraits of heads of state, dignitaries, university officials, and senior members of the military and medical communities.

Many of the portraits and still lifes painted by MS. Dawson are displayed in collections throughout the world. Her 17 foot bronze sculpture, “St. Joseph, the Worker,” appears on the facade of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Towson, Maryland.

Professional Career:

Appellate attorney, National Labor Relations Board, 1962-1964
Legislative assistant, U.S. Sen. Harrison A. Williams, New Jersey, 1964-1966
Legislative assistant, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Bingham, New York, 1966-1968
Special assistant, director of Office of Staff Relations, New York City Board of Education, 1968-1969
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1969-1977

Radcliffe College Schlesinger Library on the History of Women, Cambridge, Mass.

  • National Association of Women Judges records, 1979-1997; 13.8 linear ft.; finding aid; documents
    Kessler’s tenure as president of the organization.
Judges of the D.C. Circuit Courts