The Woodsman were an extremely popular fraternal organization in the 19th and
early 20th century. One interesting story concerning them was the Texas All
Women Supreme Court in the 1920's. A case involving the Woodsman went to the
Supreme Court of Texas, all the justices were members of the Woodsman and had
to disqualify themselves from hearing the case. The Governor had to appoint a
temporary Supreme Court panel made up entirely of female attorneys to hear
the case, since many male attorneys were members and would also be
disqualified. Women could not belong to the Woodsman, and therefore there was
no risk of their disqualification.
Lee R. Unterborn