The Early Years Ranch Life Sandra Day grew up on the Lazy B, a 198,000-acre cattle ranch near Duncan, Ariz. The ranch’s remote location instilled pragmatic independence. From girlhood, Sandra could shoot a rifle, change a tire, and ride a horse with the best of them. FEBRUARY 2022 | 48 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA “ If something broke, they had to figure o ut how to fi x it. It’s how her character was shaped and inherent in how she approached life.” Sandra on horseback ( below ) and with her family ( right ).

To “The Farm” “How do you get from El Paso to Stanford at 16? And then with the confidence to rise and be a leader there?” Sandra’s father, Harry Alfred Day, gave up his dream of attending Stanford University to run the family ranch. So when the time came for Sandra to go to college — after graduating high school in El Paso, Texas, at just 16 — she applied only to Stanford. She loved it; and earned her B.A. in economics, followed by a law degree in 1952. Several Suitors While at Stanford, Sandra received four marriage proposals — including one from future Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Ultimately, she married John Jay O’Connor III at her family’s ranch six months after her graduation. Not Hiring Despite her diploma, O’Connor had trouble getting hired as an attorney because of her gender. Her solution was to work for free, offering to sit with the secretary if she would welcome her. After a few months volunteering, she got a job as a deputy county attorney in San Mateo, Calif. Married Life When John was drafted, O’Connor accompanied him to Germany to work as a civilian attorney for the Army. After three years, they returned to the U.S. and settled in Paradise Valley, where they had three sons, Scott, Brian and Jay. After Brian was born, O’Connor took a five-year break from the law. “She experienced great discrimination. Even though she was third in her class at Stanford, she applied at 30 places and was denied at 30 places.” FRONTDOORS MEDIA | 49 | FEBRUARY 2022 Sandra at Stanford ( second from right ). The O’Connors were wed on Dec. 20, 1952.