Judge. She was the first female African-American elected to a judgeship in the United States. Although she was known by many as “Mean Geraldine” for her strict interpretation of the law and tough sentences, she was also considered fair and just. She earned a BA from the University of Michigan in 1948, and then graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 1951. She was born into a progressive family. Her grandfather was born a slave and became a professor at an African-American college in Texas; her mother, Mamie Bledsoe, became a member of the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame as a civil rights activist and official with the Michigan Employment Security Commission; and her father, Harold Bledsoe, was a local attorney and civil rights activist. Judge Bledsoe’s legal career began with his law firm. In 1962, she became an assistant U.S. attorney, and in 1964, she was named assistant corporation counsel for Detroit.  She gained national attention as the first female African-American judge when she was elected to Recorder’s Court in 1966. She retired there in 1998. In 2004, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. (bio by: Always with Love)  Family links:  Spouse:  Leonard Guy Ford (1926 – 1972)* *Calculated relationshipCause of death: Heart attack