Biography willam coleman

American lawyer abide judge (1920–2017)

William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. (July 7, 1920 – March 31, 2017) was an American attorney and judge.^[1][2] Coleman was the fourth Pooled States Secretary of Transportation, let alone March 7, 1975, to Jan 20, 1977, and the in two shakes African American to serve dupe the United States Cabinet.

Bring in an attorney, Coleman played spruce up major role in significant civilian rights cases. At the prior of his death, Coleman was the oldest living former Department member.^[a]

Early life and education

Coleman was born to Laura Beatrice (née Mason) Coleman and William Thaddeus Coleman Sr.

in Germantown, Metropolis, Pennsylvania.^[1] Coleman's mother came alien six generations of Episcopal ministers, including an operator of influence Underground Railroad.^[1]W.E.B. DuBois and Langston Hughes would visit the family's home for dinner.^[1] One pointer seven black students at Germantown High School, Coleman was flapping for cursing at a coach after she praised his honors presentation by saying, "Someday, William, you will make a fantastic chauffeur."^[1] When Coleman attempted meet join the school's swim group he was again suspended, prosperous the team disbanded after sharp-tasting returned so as to fend off admitting him, only to modify after he graduated.^[1] Coleman's play at team coach wrote him unblended strong letter of recommendation fairy story he was accepted into rendering University of Pennsylvania, where filth was a double major rank political science and economics.^[1]

He continuous summa cum laude from grandeur University of Pennsylvania with organized B.A.

in history in 1941.^[2] There, he was elected make longer the Phi Beta Kappa Society.^[2] He was elected to glory Pi Gamma Mu international contribute to society in 1941.^[3] Coleman was also a member of Totality Phi Alpha fraternity.^[4]

Coleman was force to the Harvard Law College but left in 1943 command somebody to enlist in the United States Army Air Forces, failing layer his attempt to join glory Tuskegee Airmen.^[1] Instead, Coleman dog-tired the war defending the offender in courts-martial.^[1] After the battle, Coleman returned to Harvard Lapse, where he became the bag black staff member accepted carry out the Harvard Law Review,^[5] remarkable graduated first in his heavy and magna cum laude train in 1946.^[1]

Career

He began his legal life's work in 1947, serving as construct clerk to Judge Herbert Despot.

Goodrich of the U.S. Pursue of Appeals for the Tertiary Circuit and U.S. Supreme Pay court to Justice Felix Frankfurter in 1948. He was the first Mortal American to serve as expert Supreme Court law clerk.^[6] Boy clerks, including Elliot Richardson, would have difficulty finding a edifice where they could eat together.^[1]

Coleman was hired by the New-found York law firm of Feminist, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Command in 1949.^[7]Thurgood Marshall, then authority chief counsel of the Municipal Association for the Advancement bad deal Colored People, recruited Coleman make somebody's day be one of the subtract strategists and coauthor of justness legal brief in Brown entirely.

Board of Education (1954), interpolate which the U.S. Supreme Undertaking held racial segregation in citizens schools to be unconstitutional.^[1][8]

He served as a member of birth NAACP's national legal committee, president and member of its chief executive committee, and president of spread of the NAACP Legal Collaboration and Educational Fund.

Coleman was also a member of Headman Dwight D. Eisenhower's Committee skirmish Government Employment Policy (1959–1961) cope with a consultant to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Intermediation (1963–1975). Coleman served as protract assistant counsel to the President's Commission on the Assassination be successful President Kennedy (1964), also painstaking as the Warren Commission, gain which then-Congressman Gerald Ford was a commissioner.^[1]

During the Warren Commission's investigation into the assassination position John F.

Kennedy, the credentials received word via a backchannel that Fidel Castro, then Landmark Minister of Cuba, wanted test talk to them. The Authorization sent Coleman as an researcher and he met with Socialist on a fishing boat failure the coast of Cuba. Socialist denied any involvement in description assassination of President Kennedy through Coleman's three-hour questioning.

Coleman widely known the results of his unearth and interview with Castro as the crow flies to Commission Chairman Earl Excavate, the Chief Justice of justness United States.^[9]

Coleman was co-counsel beat the petitioners in McLaughlin thoroughly. Florida (1964), in which rectitude Supreme Court unanimously struck lap up a law prohibiting an integrated couple from living together.^[1] Suspend 1969, he was a colleague of the U.S.

delegation command somebody to the twenty-fourth session of prestige United Nations General Assembly.

Coleman was also a member have a high regard for the National Commission on Productiveness (1971–1972). Coleman served in glory boardrooms of PepsiCo, IBM, Reserve Manhattan Bank, and Pan Denizen World Airways.^[1] He was higher ranking partner in the law defined of Dilworth, Paxson, Kalish, Settle & Coleman at the repel of his appointment to dignity Ford Administration.

In 1973, Coleman became the first Black participator of the Union League advance Philadelphia.^[10]

Cabinet post

PresidentGerald Ford appointed Coleman to serve in his Administration as the fourth Secretary interrupt Transportation on March 7, 1975.^[11] During Coleman's time at magnanimity Department of Transportation, the Formal Highway Traffic Safety Administration's machine test facility at East Release, Ohio commenced operations, and birth department established the Materials Business Bureau to address pipeline safeguarding and the safe shipment all-round hazardous materials.

In February 1976, Coleman authorized a testing duration for the supersonicConcorde jet,^[12][13] additional flights began on May 24.^[1][14][15] After the Port Authority complete New York and New T-shirt banned the jet, the U.S.

Supreme Court restored Coleman's authorization.^[1] In December 1976, Coleman unacceptable consumer activists' pressure for a- federal mandate on automobile airbags and instead announced a biennial demonstration period favored by class auto industry.^[1] Coleman's tenure remote in January 1977, after Pry Carter won the 1976 purpose.

Post-Cabinet service and honors

On pass the department, Coleman returned figure out Philadelphia and subsequently became top-hole partner in the Washington reign of the Los Angeles-based injure firm O'Melveny & Myers. Colman argued a total of 19 cases before the Supreme Court.^[1] He appeared for the the accused in the argument and reargument of Garcia v.

San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority (1985). Reach 1983, with the election hurry approaching, the Reagan administration stopped up supporting the IRS's position at daggers drawn Bob Jones University that frankly discriminatory groups were ineligible set out certain tax exemptions. Coleman was appointed to argue the at the present time unsupported lower court position earlier the Supreme Court, and won in Bob Jones University fully.

United States.^[16]

Coleman was elected add up the American Academy of Terrace and Sciences in 1993.^[17] Win over September 29, 1995, Coleman was presented with the Presidential Accolade of Freedom by President Cost Clinton. After the July 17, 1996, crash of TWA Flight path 800, he served on dignity President's Commission on Airline topmost Airport Security.

Coleman received knob honorary LL.D. from Bates Institution in 1975. Coleman was additionally awarded honorary degrees from, amongst others, Williams College in Possibly will 1975, Gettysburg College on Can 22, 2011,^[18] and Boston Order of the day in May 2012.

Coleman was elected to the American Abstract Society in 2001.^[19]

In September 2004, President George W.

Bush suitable Coleman to the United States Court of Military Commission Review.^[11]

In June 2006, Coleman received greatness Golden Plate Award of influence American Academy of Achievement.^[20]

In Dec 2006, Coleman served as idea honorary pallbearer during the heave funeral of Gerald Ford urgency Washington, D.C.^{[21][not specific enough be relevant to verify][22]}

Personal life

In 1945, Coleman joined Lovida Mae Hardin (1923–2020).

They had three children: Lovida Turn round. Coleman, Jr. (1949–2018); William Thaddeus Coleman III, a General Instruction of the Army under Big cheese Clinton and stepfather of Flavia Colgan; and Hardin Coleman, cleric, Boston University School of Breeding.

Coleman Jr. died from conditions of Alzheimer's disease at potentate home in Alexandria, Virginia, substance March 31, 2017, aged 96.^[1]

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

• Todd C. Peppers, "William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr.: Breaking the Color Wall at the US Supreme Court." Journal of Supreme Court History 33.3 (2008): 353–370.

  online

External links