Maud R. Crawford (1891-1957)

Maud Robinson Crawford was a pioneering attorney, civic leader, and advocate for justice whose contributions to Arkansas and the legal profession make her a deserving inductee into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame. As one of the first women to practice law in the state, she shattered barriers in a male-dominated profession, passing the bar exam with the highest score in her class despite never attending law school. She established herself as a premier legal expert in South Arkansas, playing a pivotal role in the burgeoning oil industry and proving unequivocally that women could attain excellence in any field.

Beyond her professional achievements, Crawford dedicated her life to advancing the status of women and girls. She co-founded Arkansas Girls State, an initiative that continues to educate young women about government and civic responsibility, ensuring that future generations understand the power of civic engagement. As the first woman elected to the Camden City Council, she provided a resolute example that women not only belong in leadership and public service but can thrive in these spaces. Furthermore, she led numerous women’s organizations, including the Business and Professional Women’s Club, the American Legion Auxiliary, and the Pilot Club, each dedicated to expanding opportunities for women and cultivating female leadership.

Perhaps most compelling is her fearless fight against corruption, a battle that likely led to her tragic and mysterious disappearance in 1957. As an attorney safeguarding the estate of Rose Berg, she unearthed fraudulent activities that funneled millions of dollars away from rightful heirs. Her unyielding pursuit of justice placed her in direct conflict with powerful figures, and her case remains one of Arkansas’s most infamous unsolved mysteries. Crawford’s story serves as an indelible testament to the risks women have taken in the pursuit of truth and the importance of honoring their sacrifices.

Maud Crawford was born in 1891 in Greenville, Texas. Maud’s mother passed away when Maud was nine, so she was raised in Warren, Arkansas, by her grandparents. Maud was the valedictorian of her 1911 graduating class at Warren High School, and she attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville the following year.

In 1916, Maud went to work as a stenographer in the prestigious law firm of Gaughan, McClellan and Laney.  Perhaps Maud was motivated by the new state law allowing women to practice law for the first time, or perhaps she just grew tired of understanding the law better than most of the men in her law firm, but Maud Crawford decided that she wanted to become a lawyer, and that is exactly what she did.  Maud “read for the law”, which meant she had acquired the legal knowledge outside of law school necessary to sit for the bar exam.  In 1927, at the age of 36, this incredibly bright and driven woman, who had never graduated college or attended law school, scored the highest score on the Arkansas bar exam that year and officially became the first female lawyer in Camden.  She was one of only a handful of female attorneys licensed to practice law in Arkansas in the 1920’s.

Over the next 30 years, Maud built a successful career as a real estate attorney, focusing on title and abstract work.  She was highly sought after during the oil boom in south Arkansas, while also working on many large timberland transactions in the region’s flourishing timber basket. The story goes that Standard Oil of New Jersey would not agree to drill an oil well in south Arkansas unless Maud’s name was on the title.  Nevertheless, she had to deal with the men of Gaughan, McClellan and Laney treating her as a secretary throughout her 41-year career at the firm.

In 1940, the Arkansas Boys State model government program started at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, but there was no Girls State in Arkansas.  In 1942, it was Maud Crawford who formed Arkansas Girls State to create a similar model government experience for the rising high school senior girls. Speaking to the impact of Girls State on Arkansan women, Claudia Stallings attributes her interest in the legislative process to the 1968 Arkansas Girls State program. Claudia says “Arkansas Girls State taught me the importance of being politically active and how to write and support legislation.” Stallings is forever grateful to Maud for forming Arkansas Girls State which then created the opportunity for Claudia to represent Arkansas at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. Maud’s involvement with Girls State remained strong, and she took a week away from her law practice every year to serve as a Girls State counselor to mentor young Arkansas women. Well beyond Girls State, Maud was known as a pioneer for the women’s rights movement.

Even though Maud and her husband Clyde never had children, she had a “den mom” personality.  She mentored several young women in Camden by opening the second floor of her home to female boarders, mostly young telephone company employees.  During that time in Camden, all telephone calls still went through a telephone operator at the switchboard.

Maud was a one-woman dynamo in Camden civic affairs.  According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, she was elected president of every women’s civic club for which she was eligible, including the Business and Professional Women’s Club, the American Legion Auxiliary, and Pilot Club International, which named her Woman of the Year in 1954.

In addition to her legal career and volunteer work, Maud ran for public office and won.  She was the first woman elected to the Camden City Council, where she served from 1940 to 1948.  Maud was known for being incredibly honest, fair and kind.  She was more than willing to take a stand for what she believed to be right.

On March 2, 1957, Maud Crawford disappeared from her home and her body was never to be found. The local community was stunned by and absorbed with Maud’s disappearance, and hundreds of people in Camden joined the search for her.  Camden was a Mayberry-esque  hamlet, and the disappearance without a trace of their dear Maud Crawford was highly disturbing and generated endless speculation and gossip. In 1969, the Ouachita County Probate Court declared Maud Crawford deceased and a victim of foul play.

Despite Maud’s mysterious disappearance and lack of an obituary or funeral to cement her legacy in a traditional manner, she has had a significant impact on many lives, perhaps most notably the thousands of women who have attended Arkansas Girls or the thousands of women who followed in Maud’s footsteps to become lawyers in Arkansas.

Bio and photos courtesy of Beth Brickell, Jennifer Ronnell, and Meridith Armstrong.