Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, serving from 1981 to 2006. She currently serves as the Chancellor of the College of William and Mary, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution Center.

O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and upon confirmation, became the first female justice on the Supreme Court. During the 24 years O'Connor served on the court, she was often considered to be a "swing vote" in several prominent decisions, sometimes supporting the conservative majority, and sometimes siding with the liberal justices. O'Connor announced that she was retiring in 2005 and was replaced by George W. Bush appointee Samuel Alito.

• March 26, 1930: Born

• 1950: Obtains B.A. in Economics from Stanford University

• 1952: Marries John Jay O'Connor III

• 1952-1953: Deputy County Attorney in San Mateo County, California

• 1954-1957: Attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, Frankfurt, Germany

• 1965-1969: Assistant Attorney General of Arizona

• 1969: Appointed to the Arizona State Senate and reelected to two subsequent terms

• 1973: Becomes the first woman to serve as the State Senate Majority Leader

• 1975: Elected judge of Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona

• 1979: Appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals

• 1981: Nominated by President Ronald Reagan as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, took her seat on September 25

• 1988: Treated for breast cancer

• 1989: Makes legendary vote in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

• 2005: Announces her retirement immediately upon appointment of her successor

• 2006: Retired from the Supreme Court on January 31, 2006