Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California (b. 1936)
Rose Elizabeth Bird (November 2, 1936 – December 4, 1999) was the 25th Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. Her career was marked by firsts. She was the first female clerk of the Nevada Supreme Court, the first female deputy public defender in Santa Clara County, the first woman to serve in the California State Cabinet, and the first female Chief Justice of California.
She was also notable as the first, and to date only, Chief Justice in California history to lose a retention election.