Bonnie P. Ulrich

Bonnie P. Ulrich

Bonnie received under undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and she spent two years in the Peace Corps in Panama before moving to South Dakota. She entered Law School at the University of South Dakota the following year and in October her son was born. Of the 60 students, only four were women, and all were astounded that one of their students was pregnant.

After graduating, she was hired as the first female Law Clerk by Chief Federal District Court Judge Fred Nichol. She found out later his wife, Evelyn, had suggested he hire her. It was a fascinating year, as the Wounded Knee trials were held during her clerkship. 

Bonnie next worked in the Minnehaha States Attorney’s office under States Attorney Gene Paul Kean. In 1979, Bonnie joined the United States Attorney Office, where she tried federal criminal and civil cases for over 24 years. Bonnie retired in January 2004 and will receive her 50-year pin as a member of the South Dakota Bar Association in June 2023.