Honorable Madge Bradley was appointed San Diego's first female judge in 1953 and was the only woman on the bench in San Diego County until her retirement in 1971. Madge was born in 1904 in rural Ukiah, California. In 1910, her family moved to San Diego County, where she resided until her death in 2000. An early position at a title company brought a young Madge into contact with lawyers, prompting her to remember, years later, that "they were all rather smart and that perhaps if I studied law, I, too, could be smart." She studied law through correspondence courses from a Chicago university and passed the California State Bar exam in 1933. By 1945, Madge was named Director of the San Diego County Bar Association and soon after, was encouraged to submit an application for appointment to the San Diego County Municipal Court. During her lifetime, Judge Bradley received numerous awards from the legal community, service organizations, and religious groups.