Elizabeth Cady was born on November 12, 1815, to Daniel Cady, a judge, and Margaret Livingston Cady, a homemaker, in Johnstown, New York. Raised with four sisters and one brother, she led the life of a privileged miss. When her older brother died, her grieving father told the eleven-year-old Cady that he wished she were a boy. In turn, the girl promised him that she would try to be all her brother had been. She resolved to be manly, becoming good at sports and pursuing the study of Greek and philosophy. She was allowed to read anything she wished in the extensive family library, and her depth of knowledge is evident in her writing. She was also allowed to sit in on her father’s discussions of court cases and thus heard firsthand about the legal handicaps of being a woman. Cady learned to debate from her father’s law clerks, who liked to tease her with legal riddles. Such challenges honed her analytical skills, also evident in her writing. She attended the Troy Female Seminary (now the Emma Willard School), in Troy, New York.