Adelia M. Stewart: First Woman to Pass the Uniform Commissioning Examination

Adelia M. Stewart made history in 1921 when she became the OCC’s first female National Bank Examiner. But setting precedents was nothing new for her. While working as a clerk at the OCC, she earned a law degree with high honors and was one of two women admitted to the Washington, D.C., bar in 1914.

The Wisconsin native started her career at the OCC in 1892 as a stenographer clerk. Promotions came slowly or not at all for the 23 women working for the agency then, although, as she said later, her lowly status “didn’t seem to interfere with my being allowed to do the work of” higher-paid men.

The OCC commissioned Stewart as a National Bank Examiner in 1921. She showed outstanding performance in her work and earned higher scores on her oral and written qualifying tests than both of her male counterparts who had applied.

Her status rose, and by 1922 she oversaw the Examination Division in the Washington office, giving her a position comparable to a Chief National Bank Examiner, and making her the first woman executive in the bureau’s history. She remained in that position until she retired in 1936.

During Stewart’s 44-year career at the OCC, she served under 11 comptrollers, displaying the grit and dedication to public service that made her a role model for men and women alike.