Sallyanne Payton

Sallyanne Payton is an American lawyer. She is the William W. Cook Professor Emerita of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. She was Stanford Law School's first African-American graduate.

Sallyanne Payton
Born	Los Angeles, California
Education	1964, Stanford University 1968, Stanford Law School
Occupation	Lawyer
Employer	University of Michigan Law School

Early life and education

Payton was born and raised in Los Angeles, California,^[1] to an insurance underwriter and schoolteacher.^[2] She earned her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1968, becoming their first African-American graduate.^[3] During her time at Stanford, Payton served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review.^[4]

Career

 

Payton at left, with female Nixon administration staff and high-level appointees: Ethel Bent Walsh, Brigadier General Jeanne M. Holm, Rose Mary Woods, Virginia Knauer, Helen Delich Bentley, Jayne Baker Spain, Evelyn Eppley, Barbara H. Franklin; (second row): Sallyanne Payton, Elizabeth Hanford, Georgiana Sheldon, Virginia Allan, Carol Khosrovi, Paula Tennant, Brereton Sturtevant, Gloria Toote.

 

Nixon with Vicki Keller, Jayne Spain, Barbara Franklin, Payton, and Dr. Valerija Raulinaitis

With her newly obtained law degree, Payton was hired at the law firm Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C.^[5] While there, she caught the attention of President Richard Nixon who hired her to sit on the White House Domestic Council staff in 1971.^[6] Her alma mater Stanford also elected her as an alumni-elect on their Board of Trustees.^[7] Payton was later appointed to Chief Counsel of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1973.^[5]

In 1976, Payton and Christina B. Whitman were hired full-time at the University of Michigan Law School.^[8] The following year, she was elected to Stanford's Board of Trustees for a five-year term.^[9] During the Clinton presidency, she served as an adviser for the Clinton Health Care Reform Task Force, which led to her election as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.^[5]

On May 28, 2008, Payton was reappointed the William W. Cook Professor of Law until May 31, 2013.^[10] Two years later, she was elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance^[11] and a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States.^[12] In 2013, Payton officially retired from the University of Michigan Law School.^[5]

References

1. Schoch, Deborah (February 25, 2007). "Spirituals hit a high note in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 1, 2020. said Payton, who grew up in Los Angeles
2. Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. May 1962. p. 30. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
3. Liban, Ismail; Ashe, Stephanie (February 12, 2020). "Stanford Black Law Students Association Celebrates 50th Anniversary". law.stanford.edu. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
4. "Volume 19 Editorial Board". stanfordlawreview.org. 1967. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
5. Vloet, Katie (2013). "Payton Retires; Was One of First Female Faculty Members" (PDF). law.umich.edu. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
6. Albin Krebs (April 30, 1971). "Notes on People". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
7. "Trustees Elected". Stanford Daily. California. June 20, 1972. 
8. "Payton, Whitman Join Michigan Law Faculty" (PDF). law.umich.edu. 1976. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
9. Charonnat, Bruce (June 21, 1977). "Board OKs two new VPs". Stanford Daily. California. 
10. "Regents Roundup". ur.umich.edu. May 28, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
11. "National Academy of Social Insurance Announces New Members". nasi.org. March 4, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
12. "ACUS Announces Senior Fellows". acus.gov. October 4, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2020.