Margaret Queen Adams (July 26, 1874–January 7, 1974), née Margaret Queen Phillips, became the first woman deputy sheriff in the United States in 1912. She served in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) from 1912 to 1947.Margaret Phillips was born in Kentucky, but moved to California with her family when she was nine years old and settled in downtown Los Angeles. She was the second of five children. Her older sister Lillian married William A.