Born: 15 August 1906, France
Died: 2 March 1995
Country most active: France
Also known as: Suzanne Marie Berthe Basdevant
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Suzanne Basdevant Bastid was a prominent French law professor with a specialization in international public law. Her expertise garnered widespread respect, and she delivered lectures across numerous esteemed institutions. For a span of three decades, she held the position of professor at the Faculty of Law in Paris (renamed Paris II after 1971). Her career also included her serving as a judge at the International Court of Justice.
Suzanne Basdevant Bastid was the first woman to attain the position of a law professor in France and the first female member of the Institut de France—an honor bestowed by the nation’s most esteemed scholarly society.