Emily Rappaport was the fifteenth President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). She is renowned for instituting Rappaport's Law in 1790, a severe piece of legislation that enforced strict segregation between the American wizarding and No-Maj communities. Her presidency and its defining law were a direct response to one of the most significant breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy in American history. All known information about President Rappaport comes from supplementary writings by J.K. Rowling (Pottermore).
Serving as the President of MACUSA in the late 18th century, Emily Rappaport's tenure was defined by a major security crisis that threatened the secrecy and safety of the entire magical community of North America. The incident involved Dorcus Twelvetrees, the daughter of Rappaport's trusted Keeper of Treasure and Dragots, Aristotle Twelvetrees. Dorcus, described as foolish, became infatuated with a handsome but unscrupulous No-Maj named Bartholomew Barebone. Bartholomew was secretly a descendant of a family of Scourers, a group of corrupt magical mercenaries who had historically preyed upon their fellow wizards (Pottermore). Blinded by her affection, Dorcus revealed significant magical secrets to Bartholomew. She demonstrated magic, confided the secret addresses of both MACUSA and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and even showed him her wand, which he subsequently stole. Barebone used the stolen information to expose magic to several No-Maj newspapers and gathered a group of armed associates to persecute and kill local wizards and witches. The crisis was narrowly averted when Barebone was arrested after attempting to shoot what he believed to be wizards but were actually No-Majs carrying suspicious-looking sticks. He was imprisoned, and MACUSA was forced to perform a mass Memory Charm and relocate its headquarters (Pottermore). In the aftermath of this catastrophic breach, President Rappaport took decisive and severe action. She passed Rappaport's Law, which completely forbade intermarriage and friendship between wizards and No-Majs. The law was designed to create total segregation to prevent any possibility of a similar event recurring. This legislation had a profound and lasting impact on American wizarding society, fostering a culture of deep secrecy and separation that persisted until the law was finally repealed in 1965 (Pottermore).
There is no canonical description of Emily Rappaport's physical appearance. Based on her actions, she can be inferred to be a strong, decisive, and stern leader. Her response to the Barebone crisis demonstrates a pragmatic and security-focused mindset, prioritizing the protection of the wizarding community above all else, even at the cost of personal freedoms and inter-community relations.
As the President of MACUSA, Emily Rappaport would have undoubtedly been a highly skilled and powerful witch. While no specific magical feats are attributed to her, her position implies immense magical talent and proficiency. Her greatest known skills were in the realm of politics and law-making, where her single piece of legislation shaped American wizarding society for nearly two centuries.
No specific possessions of President Rappaport are documented. As a witch, she would have owned a wand, though no details about its core, wood, or length are known.
Emily Rappaport's most noted professional relationship was with Aristotle Twelvetrees, her Keeper of Treasure and Dragots. The grave indiscretion of his daughter, Dorcus, directly led to the defining moment of Rappaport's presidency and the creation of her famous law. Her relationship with the American No-Maj community was defined by institutionalized mistrust, culminating in the legal segregation enforced by Rappaport's Law.
Emily Rappaport is not mentioned in the original seven *Harry Potter* novels. Her character and history were created by J.K. Rowling for the “History of Magic in North America” series of writings published on the Pottermore website in 2016. This material served as background lore for the *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* film series (Pottermore). Rappaport's Law is a key piece of world-building that establishes the cultural and social differences between the British and American wizarding communities, explaining the latter's heightened sense of secrecy and segregation from the No-Maj world.