07/24/2026
Baylor has graduated some pretty remarkable, boundary-breaking women throughout its history. One of them was none other than the extraordinary Margaret Amsler.
Margaret Amsler was the daughter of longtime Baylor Law professor and former assistant county attorney under Pat Neff, Judge Nat Harris. She graduated from Baylor in 1929 with dual degrees in French and English and minors in history and botany. She then earned her master's degree at Wellesley College. Following her graduation, she taught for a year at a public school in Rockwall, Texas — but her passion for law and desire to follow in her father’s footsteps could not be ignored.
Amsler’s parents warned her it would be difficult for her to succeed as a lawyer. While they supported her, they also knew their society didn’t expect them to work, much less become lawyers.
But, for Amsler, it did not matter that it wasn’t in fashion at the time. She was going to do it anyway — and she was going to excel.
And excel she did. She entered Baylor Law in 1932 but had to briefly put her education on hold when she met John Kenneth Gordon and married. However, she and Gordon divorced in 1935, and Amsler decided to return to law school. She graduated first in her class in 1937 and began practicing law with her father.
Amsler went on to become the first woman employed by the Texas Supreme Court and the first-ever recipient of the State Bar of Texas President’s Award. She returned to Baylor Law to teach, where she remained for over 30 years. Her students fondly called her “Lady A” as she came to class every day in a hat and gloves.
Amsler’s career defied expectations, and now her portrait hangs in Baylor Law School as a reminder to all students of the power of hard work and determination.
