A Photograph Across Generations

Traynor family gift to UND Law Women’s Caucus connects early legal history with the legacy of trailblazer Helen Hamilton

A century-old photograph has found a new home at the University of North Dakota School of Law, offering a powerful glimpse into the early legal community of North Dakota—and the quiet presence of a pioneering woman who helped shape its history.

The photograph, believed to have been taken at a State Bar Association of North Dakota convention in Grand Forks in the early 1920s, was recently donated to the UND School of Law’s Law Women’s Caucus by brothers Professor Paul Traynor, Judge Daniel Mack Traynor, and Tom Traynor. The image captures a gathering of attorneys from the era, including Edward Donovan, the brothers’ grandfather, seated at the far left wearing a bow tie.

For decades, the photograph remained in the Donovan family home in Langdon, North Dakota. When the house was sold, the brothers’ mother, Jane Traynor, kept the photograph because of its connection to her father. Years later, while clearing out their parents’ home, the Traynor brothers rediscovered the piece of family—and legal—history.

As members of a family with deep ties to the legal profession, the brothers immediately noticed something remarkable in the photograph: a woman seated among the lawyers. That woman was Helen Hamilton, who at the time was the only licensed female attorney in North Dakota.

Recognizing the historical significance of Hamilton’s presence, the Traynor brothers agreed that the photograph belonged somewhere it could continue telling its story. They chose to donate it to the UND School of Law Women’s Caucus, a student organization that has long honored Hamilton’s legacy through its annual Helen Hamilton Day programming.

To ensure the image could be shared more widely, the brothers arranged and paid for the professional reproduction and framing of the photograph. A framed copy was presented to Chief Justice Lisa McEvers, where it now hangs in her chambers. Another copy was given to the UND Law Women’s Caucus, while the original photograph is displayed in Judge Daniel Traynor’s office.

The gift carries special meaning at UND, where the Traynor family has a long lineage of law school alumni. It also reinforces the mission of the Law Women’s Caucus (LWC), which was founded to advance the rights and improve the position of women and all people in society by furthering legal, civil, and human rights.

Through general meetings, panels, and networking opportunities, the organization connects students with attorneys, judges, and legal educators while promoting the advancement of women in the legal profession. Each year, LWC hosts its signature Helen Hamilton Day symposium, celebrating the first woman graduate of the UND School of Law, the first woman admitted to the North Dakota Bar, and the first woman to apply for membership in the American Bar Association.

Now, with the addition of this historic photograph, Hamilton’s presence at the dawn of North Dakota’s legal community will continue to inspire new generations of law students—just as it did when the Traynor brothers first recognized her among the rows of attorneys captured in the image nearly a century ago.