Pearl M. Hart practiced law in Chicago for
61 years as an advocate for the oppressed,
most notably children, women, immigrants
and homosexuals.

Hart grew up in the bustling Russian Jewish
neighborhoods on Chicago's Near West Side.

In 1914, she graduated from John Marshall
Law School, and became one of the first
female attorneys in Chicago to specialize in
criminal law.

Hart was recognized as an expert on the juvenile justice system. She drafted legislation, served on reform committees, and spoke before civic groups, all in an effort to protect Chicago's most vulnerable citizens.

In the 1950s, Hart focused on defending immigrants in deportation proceedings. In U.S. v. Witkovish, which she took to the United States Supreme Court, the high court agreed with her contention that the Attorney General's power to question aliens subject to deportation was limited by constitutional safeguards.
Called the "Guardian Angel of Chicago's Gay Community" for her diligent fight against police harassment, Hart was inducted posthumously into Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1992.

She lived at 2821 North Pine Grove Avenue for 25 years.