Virginia Dill McCarty

Virginia Dill McCarty (December 15, 1924 – May 26, 2006) was an American lawyer who served as the U.S. Attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana from 1977 to 1981, and became the first woman to be appointed and serve a full, four-year term as U.S. Attorney. McCarty's career as a public servant in Indiana also worked as a deputy attorney general and assistant attorney general for the State of Indiana (1964–1969), a member of the Indiana Board of Law Examiners (1971–1976), chief counsel to the Marion County, Indiana, Prosecutor (1975–1976), and chairman of the Board for the Indiana Department of Correction (1989–2006). In addition, McCarty co-founded the Indiana Women's Political Caucus and the Greater Indianapolis Women's Political Caucus in 1971 and served as the first president of each organization. As an advocate for women's equality and increasing women's roles in politics and government, McCarty was also involved in the campaign to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Indiana in 1977.

McCarty, a native of Plainfield, Indiana, and a Phi Beta Kappa member, graduated first in her class from the Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis (the present-day Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law) in 1950 and was a partner in private law practice in Indianapolis. McCarty was a recipient of an honorary J.D. degree from Indiana Central College (the present-day University of Indianapolis) in 1979, and an honorary Doctor of Law degree from IU School of Law–Indianapolis, in 1986. In addition to her legal work, McCarty was active in Democratic Party politics in Indiana, but was unsuccessful in her bids for elected office. In 1966 McCarty was the first woman to be nominated by major party for a judgeship in Marion County, Indiana, and in 1976, she was the first woman in Indiana to be nominated for Indiana Attorney General. In 1983, she became first woman candidate to run for the office of Governor of Indiana, but she lost in the Democratic primary in 1984. McCarthy also announced her candidacy for the 1988 Indiana gubernatorial race, but ended her campaign in April 1987 due to insufficient campaign funds.