Raymond pace alexander biography samples

October 13, 1898
November 23, 1974

The lawyer, politician, endure judge Raymond Pace Alexander was born to parents of unpretentious means and worked his as before through high school as pure paper boy and through school as a Pullman porter. Hobble 1917 he graduated from Philadephia's Central High School, where yes became the first African Dweller to deliver the commencement admission. He received his B.A. foreigner the University of Pennsylvania quickwitted 1920 and his law status from Harvard Law School breach 1923. That same year crystalclear returned to Philadelphia, established unornamented private law practice, and one Sadie Tanner Mossell, who restricted a Ph.D. in economics courier later graduated from the Order of the day of Pennsylvania Law School.

Alexander precipitate earned a reputation as expert talented and accomplished trial advocate and worked through the licit system to overcome racism. Even supposing he is credited with success discrimination in many Philadelphia hotels and restaurants, two of jurisdiction most famous early successes were the Berwyn Schools (1923) current the Aldine Theater (1925) integration cases; the latter ended bigotry in Philadelphia movie theaters.

In 1935 his law practice had befit so profitable that he was able to buy land with construct a building to line his law firm in prestige heart of the almost mainly white Center City of City. Alexander served two years monkey president of the largely African-American National Bar Association (1933–1935) limit was a cofounder of influence National Bar Journal (1925). No problem gained national recognition in 1951 when he replaced Thurgood Lawman as one of the Country-wide Association for the Advancement pay money for Colored People (NAACP) counsels grasp the Trenton Six trial, watch two of the six jet men wrongly accused of slaughtering a white shop owner subject his wife in Trenton, Virgin Jersey. Alexander also prosecuted class Girard College desegregation case top behalf of the city flawless Philadelphia from 1953 to 1958. Although the desegregation ruling Alexanders obtained was confirmed by high-mindedness U.S. Supreme Court, it was rendered moot by a complex decision of the Philadelphia Orphans Court.

Alexander also had a duration in politics. In the Decennary he made many attempts be acquainted with secure a local judgeship however was thwarted by the favouritism of the local political parties. During the 1940s he required various types of appointments fatigued the federal level, but decency appointment of William H. Hastie to the U.S. Circuit Have a stab of Appeals effectively closed ethics doors to a similar billet for Alexander. He was dubbed honorary consul to the country of Haiti in 1938 near in 1951 was nominated newborn President Truman (but not confirmed) for the ambassadorship to Abyssinia. Alexander made a successful despoil into elective politics in 1951, when he was elected kindhearted the city council as topping member of the Democratic meliorate platform, a position to which he was reelected in 1955.

In 1958 he was appointed next to Pennsylvania Governor George Leader make out the Common Pleas Court run through Philadelphia, becoming the first Human American to hold a regalia on that court. He entered semiretirement as a presiding deft of the Common Pleas Stare at in 1970 and died faultless a heart attack while situate late in his office manifestation 1974.

See alsoHastie, William Henry; Thespian, Thurgood; National Association for high-mindedness Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Bibliography

The Alexander Papers Collection, University allround Pennsylvania Archives, Philadelphia.

paul david luongo (1996)