Lives of Consequence
Carolyn Bareham Dineen '26
As one of only two women in the class of 1932 at Syracuse University School of Law, Carolyn Bareham Dineen '26 was a pioneer in the field of law and became active in advocating for a wide range of career opportunities for women. She often addressed women's issues in newspaper columns and spoke to students about law as a profession for women.
The daughter of a family that emigrated from England to Rochester, N.Y., Dineen graduated first in her class with a bachelor's degree from William Smith, where she served as president of student government and played basketball and field hockey. She went on to earn a master's in medieval English from Columbia University. Not wanting to teach, she decided to instead go into law.
When her father, who did not believe women should be lawyers, refused to help her financially, she got a job working as a newspaper columnist in Syracuse to put herself through law school.
After graduating, Dineen passed the bar in 1932 and established a successful career at the local law firm of Costello, Cooney and Fearon where she met her husband, Robert. They were married in 1937 and she spent several years raising their four children.
The couple later relocated to Milwaukee and in 1951, Dineen got involved with civic affairs in the area, serving as a member of the Hospital Area Planning Committee, president of the Milwaukee Catholic Home and a trustee of the Michael J. Cudahy Foundation.
Dineen passed away in 2001 at the age of 95.