IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES

IOWA CITY, IOWA

ROSEMARY SACKETT (1940- )

PAPERS, 1960-1996

3.5 linear inches

ACQUISITION: The papers (donor no. 316) were donated by Rosemary Sackett in 1995.

ACCESS: The papers are open for research.

COPYRIGHT: With the exception of published writings, copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

PROCESSED BY: Kristen Rassbach, 1996.

Biography

          Rosemary Shaw Sackett, Iowa lawyer and judge, was born on January 17, 1940 to Frank W. and Irene Rafferty Shaw in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Shaw received her B.A. from Buena Vista College, her J.D. from Drake University Law School, and her L.L.M from University of Virginia Law School. She married Robert "Bill" Sackett in 1964 and went into law practice with him in the firm of Sackett and Sackett. She was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals in 1983, and was elected chief judge in 1996. Sackett is the first woman to occupy the position in the court’s 20-year history.

Scope and Content Note

          The Rosemary Sackett papers date from 1960 to 1996 nd measure 3.5 linear inches. The papers are arranged in two series: Personal and Professional. The Personal series consists mostly of Sackett's writings for children along with the Morgan family history which contains information about Josiah and Lucy Jane Smith Shaw. Also included is One of Us, Sackett's memories of her teenage years in Pocahontas, Iowa, and of her acquaintance with the serial killer Robert Hansen whose story is related in the book Butcher, Baker by Walter Gilmour and Leland E. Hale (1991). A copy of Butcher, Baker is included in the collection. The Professional series makes up the bulk of the collection and consists of newspaper clippings concerning Sackett's court cases and legal interests.

Related Collections

Edith Sackett papers  

Sackett is Rosemary Sackett's mother-in-law.

Box no. Description

Box 1
Personal
                               Biographical information
                                 Morgan family history, undated
One of Us, by Rosemary Sackett, 1993
Butcher, Baker: A True Account of a Serial Murderer,
                                          by Walter Gilmour and Leland E. Hale (1991) [shelved in printed
                                               works collection]
                               Correspondence, 1983, 1987
                               Education
Buena Vista Today, 1991
 Kappa Beta Pi Quarterly, 1963
                               Newspaper clippings, 1960-2001 and undated (3 folders)
                               Organizational interests
                                   Metropolitan Dinner Club of Greater Spencer, 1972
                                   Women Early Bird Strategists, 1985
                               Writings
Bozer Bunny Comes to Lake Okoboji, 1995 [shelved in printed works
                                           collection]
The Little Cottage's First Christmas Tree, undated
                               Photograph
                                 Kappa Beta Pi legal sorority 17th biannual convention, 1961

       Professional
                               Conferences, 1986, 1987
                               Iowa Women Lawyers’ Association speech [history of women lawyers in
                                        Iowa], undated
                               Newspaper clippings
                                   Cases, 1983-1995 and undated
                                   Court related clippings, 1976, 1986 and undated
                                   Male domination of the court system, 1986
                                   Party affiliation in the court system, 1986
                               Writings
                                   "Alimony: A Retreat from Traditional Concepts of Spousal Support,"
                                          Drake Law Review, 1986
                                   "Terminating Parental Rights of the Handicapped," Family Law Quarterly,                                            1991