Pearl M. Hart

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Pearl M. Hart (1890-1975), Attorney, practiced law in Chicago for 61 years as an advocate for the oppressed. Hart was the first woman in Chicago to be appointed Public Defender in the Morals Court. Most notably, she represented children, women, immigrants, lesbians, and gay men, often without fee or for a nominal fee. She attended The John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1914.

In April 1981, to honor Hart and 1920's Chicago activist Henry Gerber, "The Midwest Gay and Lesbian Archive and Library" changed its name to "The Henry Gerber–Pearl M. Hart Library: The Midwest Lesbian & Gay Resource Center."

Pearl M. Hart was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1992 (posthumously).