The second female law school graduate, and the first Latina graduate was Josephine F. Verain. Miss Verain was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1899 to Mexican immigrants. According to census data, she lived in Corpus Christi though 1920, working at a local firm as a stenographer and bookkeeper after high school. By 1924, Josephine moved to San Antonio, finding a home in Alamo Heights. Through the 1920s and 1930s, she continued to work as a stenographer for local law firms, and mainly attorney Lester Whipple.

In the late 1930s, Miss Verain joined the law school while working for Whipple’s firm. While attending St Mary’s, she was active in the Moot Court, and known for her knowledge of Mexican Law. Josephine received her law degree in 1940 and passed the Texas bar exam in 1941. 

Originally headquartered in Oklahoma, Gilcrease Oil Company moved its headquarters to San Antonio, Texas. As a stockholder in Gilcrease, Whipple worked at their headquarters and brought in Miss Verain’s talents. Whipple went on to become vice president and general counsel of Gilcrease Oil and Josephine continued to work for Gilcrease Oil as an attorney until 1962. Following owner Thomas Gilcrease’s death, the company’s assets were distributed among shareholders, and a new company, Venus Oil Company, was created to continue operations. Josephine worked for Venus Oil until she retired in 1971. 

Throughout her life, Miss Josephine was a faithful servant of the Catholic Church. In the late 1940s, she served as the chairman of the San Antonio Archdiocese’s legislative committee. She was a member of the Legion of Mary, a Roman Catholic prayer group. During her retirement years, San Antonio Archbishop Francis J. Furey recognized Miss Verain for her exceptional service to the Catholic Church and to the community. Josephine never married and had no children. She passed in 1992 at the age of ninety-three. She was laid to rest at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in northeast San Antonio, Tx. 

By: Barbara Ortiz, St. Mary’s University Law Fellows in Public History (2024)

References:

  1. U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, Census 1900,1920, 1930: Texas, Nueces County, Corpus Christi
  2. SA city directories 1924, 1931, 1934
  3. (moot court)The Rattler (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 29, 1937 – Page 4 of 6 – The Portal to Texas History (unt.edu) 
  4. (1940 commencement)Rattler (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, May 17, 1940 – Page 4 of 6 – The Portal to Texas History (unt.edu)
  5. State Bar of Texas https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Find_A_Lawyer&template=/Customsource/MemberDirectory/MemberDirectoryDetail.cfm&ContactID=327009
  6. Stone-Harris, Regina. 2019. “The Remarkable First 50 Women Law Graduates of St. Mary’s University: Part One” https://commons.stmarytx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1517&context=facarticles
  7. Catholic Women’s Unit to Plan Year’s Projecs: Archdiocesan Board Calls Meeting for Nov. 30; Committee Heads Named, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS, Nov. 21, 1948.
  8. Legion of Mag Plans Conference, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS, Aug. 10, 1968.