MONROE – Former 6th District Judge Alwine Mulhearn Smith Ragland – the first woman elected as a judge in Tallulah – has died. She was 92.

Ragland, described by a colleague as a &#8220fine lady and a no-nonsense judge,” was first elected in 1974 and held the post for 12 years. She died at her Tallulah home Sunday.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church in Tallulah. Visitation will be today at the church from 7 to 9 p.m.

Born in Monroe, Ragland graduated from Monroe City High School in 1930. She received her associate of arts degree from Principia College in St. Louis in 1932 and her law degree from Tulane Law School in 1935, finishing in the top 10 of her class. A child of the Great Depression, Ragland decided having a career in law would provide a stable living. She practiced law in Tallulah for 39 years before running for elected office.

After Tulane, Ragland was unable to work as a lawyer immediately because women didn’t hold such positions.

She took a job in Vicksburg with Northern Wholesale, a collections company, until she was able to open her practice in Madison Parish. But for Ragland, being a lawyer wasn’t enough. She decided she would try for a seat on the bench and, in 1974, was elected judge of the 6th Judicial District, which covers Madison, Tensas and East Carroll parishes. She remained there for 16 years as the state’s first elected woman judge.

Raymond Cannon, who began practicing law in Tallulah in 1974 – the same year Ragland was elected to the bench – said her reputation was well-deserved.

&#8220She practiced at a time in the history of our district, the 6th District, when there were few, if any, women in law,” Cannon said. &#8220When I began to practice law, her reputation as a skilled, tenacious trial lawyer was well known.”

When Ragland finished her final term in 1990, she was 77 years old. She ran for a fifth term against former 6th Judicial District Assistant Attorney Felicia Toney Williams and lost.

Two years later, she was appointed to the city court, which handles misdemeanors. She held that post until shortly before her death.

In an interview with The Vicksburg Post in October 2005, Ragland explained why she was determined to keep a constant presence in her parish.

&#8220This is my home,” she said. &#8220I stayed here to help it.”