Dame R. Mitchell; Australia’s 1st Female Governor

Dame Roma Mitchell, 86, the first woman state supreme court judge and governor in Australia. Mitchell once described herself as a “conservative sort of feminist.” She became a South Australia Supreme Court judge in 1965 and served until 1983. After opening up the court system to women, she also became the country’s first female governor in 1991 when she was named head of South Australia state. Mitchell was the founding chairwoman of the Australian Human Rights Commission. On Sunday in Adelaide, Australia, of bone cancer.