Biography
Grace Johnson McGuire was born in Hardwick, Vermont on January 8, 1919. She attended St. Michael's High School in Montpelier and graduated as valedictorian in 1936. McGuire then went on to Trinity College in Burlington, VT and graduated from Portia Law school in Boston, MA in 1940. Portia was the first law school in America to admit women with or without a college degree. At age 22, she became the twentieth woman admitted to the Vermont Bar.
After passing the bar, McGuire worked on the legal staff at National Life of Vermont. In 1965, McGuire was appointed as a Montpelier Municipal Judge by Governor Phil Hoff. In 1967, the municipal courts were abolished and Grace McGuire returned to practicing law in Montpelier.
Beside practicing law, McGuire was also active in the community. She served on the Board of Directors for St. Joseph's Children's Home in Burlington for eight years, was on the Board of Directors of Vermont Catholic Charities for seventeen years, was a founder and director of the Elmhill Group Home, and served as president of the Vermont Cancer Society.Education
Trinity College, Burlington
Portia Law School, Boston (1940)Occupation
Lawyer
Judge