Barbara Culver Clack, who was the second woman to serve full time on the Texas Supreme Court, died in Midland Sunday, according to a Texas Supreme Court advisory. She was 90.
“Small of stature, she was a towering figure in the judiciary, to the legal profession and for the West Texas community she loved and who loved her,” Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht said in a statement. “She was a mentor to many, an inspiration to all and a dear friend.”
Clack received her law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1951 and was admitted to the Texas Bar that same year.
After practicing law with her husband in Midland following law school, Clack eventually was elected Midland county judge and then served as a family district court judge for 10 years.
Gov. Bill Clements appointed Clack to the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, making her the first Republican woman on the court. She ran unsuccessfully to keep her seat later that year.
Read more about Clack’s life in the Supreme Court advisory.