Found 7 collections related to African American lawyers -- New York (State) -- New York

Born and raised in Brooklyn, by middle-class parents from Barbados, Thomas Russell Jones graduated from St. Johns University Law School in 1937. A first lieutenant during World War II, he led companies of Black troops during the Allied invasion of Normandy, and participated in the liberation of the Alsace province of France. His professional activities included a law practice as a young Black lawyer during the 1950s; his leadership role in the founding of the Unity Democratic Club in Brooklyn in 1960, and of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, together with Senator Robert Kennedy, in 1966; and a prestigious public service career, first in the New York State Assembly for the 17th District in 1962, as a delegate to New York State's Constitutional Convention in 1966, and then, in 1968. as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. He retired from the bench in 1978, and redirected his energy into advocacy for children, public speaking, and community activism in general. The Thomas Russell Jones papers document the personal life and the professional career of Thomas Russell Jones, a retired Supreme Court Judge for the State of New York, and an early leader in the struggle for the political and economic empowerment of Brooklyn's Black community. less

The James S. Watson Papers, 1913-1991, document his career as a judge, his legal decisions and opinions, his numerous civic and community activities, and his personal and family life. The Papers consist of correspondence, legal documents, minutes, writings, financial records, clippings and printed material. The Personal Papers include biographical material and correspondence to and from family, friends, and acquaintances, both in Jamaica and the United States. Letters from son James to his parents while serving during World War II are located in the Personal Papers and the Family Papers series where additional family correspondence is filed. Although material prior to 1930 is sketchy, the Professional Series documents the entirety of Watson's working career and his electoral campaigns. Of special interest in this series are two files located in the General File sub-series which deal with cases filed by the Newspaper Guild of New York against The New York Amsterdam News in 1936 and 1937, respectively, regarding the firing of city editor Ted Poston and reporter Henry Lee Moon in 1936 and editor Obie McCullum and sports writer and theater critic Roi Ottley in 1937. On both occasions Watson acted as arbitrator. Watson's professional life is further documented in the Speeches and Writings series, as is his role in the Harlem and West Indian communities which is also recorded in the collection's Civic and Community Activities series. Overall, the Civic and Community Activities series contain correspondence, requests for aid, meeting notices, minutes and reports from the Harlem Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association, the Harlem Adult Education Committee and various labor and civil rights groups. The General File series contain requests for immigration and financial assistance as well as correspondence from Claude McKay and editor A.M.Wendell Malliet with whom Watson consulted regarding a projected autobiography. less

Thomas Sinclair, Jr., was an African-American lawyer, director of the Upper Manhattan Rent Commission, Chairman of the Housing Committee of the Harlem Neighborhoods Association, and a New York City Housing Court judge. The Thomas Sinclair collection consists of biographical data, some letters and speeches, minutes and other documents of Community Boards 10 and 11 regarding urban renewal in Harlem in the 1960s, and some legal files, one of which concerns the proposed installation of Stuart H. Merriam as minister of Harlem's Broadway Presbyterian Church (1961-1962). less

Philip Watson was an African-American attorney who practiced law in Harlem and later served as an assistant attorney general for the State of New York. Watson was a member of the Alpha Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the Golden Fleece Lodge 7887 in Manhattan. The Philip Watson papers consists of letters (1929-1931), primarily from Elise Johnson prior to her marriage to Watson, and legal papers. Included is a completed questionnaire for Watson's admission to the New York State Bar in 1932 and several affidavits in support of the application. The questionnaire provides biographical information about Watson such as schools attended and his employment record. Of interest is a legal brief for a case Watson argued regarding the refusal of the owner of a bathhouse at Playland in Rye, New York to admit a Black person in 1935. The collection also contains an agreement settling a lawsuit between a local chapter and the national Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, with Watson as the attorney for one of the defendants, his membership certificate for the Alpha Chapter, and a handbook of the constitution and by-laws of the Golden Fleece Lodge. less

The Gordon Davis photographs (1994-2005) consists of color photographs relating to Davis' professional and personal life, most notably the 2005 staging of the art installation "The Gates" in Central Park. The collection also features photographs of Davis with President Barack Obama at the White House, and the postage stamp that was released to commemorate Davis' father, the anthropologist Dr. W. Allison Davis. less

Gordon Davis is an American lawyer who served as the New York City Commissioner of Parks and Recreation from 1978 to 1983 and as president of Lincoln Center in 2001. The Gordon Davis papers (1974-2022) contain his professional and personal files and includes calendars, press files, and promotional materials. There is also significant content related to Davis' father, the anthropologist, Dr. W. Allison Davis. less