Earl B. Dickerson
Encyclopedia
Earl B. Dickerson was a prominent African American attorney, community activist and business executive who successfully argued before the U. S. Supreme Court in Hansberry v. Lee
.
, the son of and Edward and Emma Garrett Fielding Dickerson. His maternal grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Garrett, was born a slave who, before the Civil War
had purchased himself and his wife, Eliza Montgomery, out of slavery. Earl's father died in 1896 and Earl was raised by his mother, his mother's mother, Eliza, and a half-sister from his father's first marriage, Gertrude.
Dickerson first moved to Chicago in 1907 and spent most of next 10 years there, graduating from a University of Chicago
-sponsored prep school in 1909. He married Inez Moss in 1912 (a marriage which ended in divorce in 1927) and earned a B.A.
from the University of Illinois in 1914.
Dickerson's legal studies were interrupted by World War I when he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He became a lieutenant and served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France
. After the conclusion of the war, Dickerson became a founding member of the American Legion
and personally organized the George L. Giles Post 87 in Chicago. Returning to the University of Chicago, Dickerson completed his legal studies in 1920, becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate of law degree there.
In 1927, Dickerson was instrumental in establishing Burr Oak Cemetery, one of the few African American cemeteries in southwestern Cook County
. Later, during the Great Depression
, Dickerson helped persuade Supreme Life to step in and save the cemetery after Burr Oak defaulted on its mortgage. On June 15. 1930 he married Kathryn Kennedy Wilson.
In 1939, he became the first African American Democrat
to serve on the Chicago City Council. The following year he successfully argued before the U. S. Supreme Court in the landmark Hansberry v. Lee
case, which addressed the issue of restrictive covenant
s. It involved the Chicago home purchased by real estate broker Carl Augustus Hansberry
, father of playwright Lorraine Hansberry
, with money borrowed from the Supreme Life Insurance Company.
, board member of the national NAACP
, grand polemarch of the Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity, and president of the Chicago Urban League
.
He died in his Chicago home on September 1, 1986 and was buried next to his wife Kathryn in Burr Oak, the cemetery he helped found.
Hansberry v. Lee
Hansberry v. Lee, , is a famous case now usually known in civil procedure for teaching that res judicata may not bind a subsequent plaintiff who had no opportunity to be represented in the earlier civil action. The facts of the case dealt with a racially restrictive covenant that barred African...
.
Early life
Earl Burrus Dickerson was born on June 22, 1891 in Canton, MississippiCanton, Mississippi
Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi. The population was 12,911 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, and situated in the northern part of the metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, Jackson....
, the son of and Edward and Emma Garrett Fielding Dickerson. His maternal grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Garrett, was born a slave who, before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
had purchased himself and his wife, Eliza Montgomery, out of slavery. Earl's father died in 1896 and Earl was raised by his mother, his mother's mother, Eliza, and a half-sister from his father's first marriage, Gertrude.
Dickerson first moved to Chicago in 1907 and spent most of next 10 years there, graduating from a University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
-sponsored prep school in 1909. He married Inez Moss in 1912 (a marriage which ended in divorce in 1927) and earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Illinois in 1914.
Dickerson's legal studies were interrupted by World War I when he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He became a lieutenant and served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After the conclusion of the war, Dickerson became a founding member of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
and personally organized the George L. Giles Post 87 in Chicago. Returning to the University of Chicago, Dickerson completed his legal studies in 1920, becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate of law degree there.
Law career
In 1921, Dickerson accepted a position as general counsel of the newly formed Supreme Life Insurance Company, which later became the largest African American owned insurance company in the North. This was not his first association with the company. In 1919, while still a law student, he had helped draft the company's articles of incorporation. While working for Supreme Life Insurance, Dickerson also started a law firm with fellow law school graduate, Wendell E. Green, who later became a Circuit Court judge. At the same time, Dickerson began to take an active role in politics and civil rights.In 1927, Dickerson was instrumental in establishing Burr Oak Cemetery, one of the few African American cemeteries in southwestern Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
. Later, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Dickerson helped persuade Supreme Life to step in and save the cemetery after Burr Oak defaulted on its mortgage. On June 15. 1930 he married Kathryn Kennedy Wilson.
In 1939, he became the first African American Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to serve on the Chicago City Council. The following year he successfully argued before the U. S. Supreme Court in the landmark Hansberry v. Lee
Hansberry v. Lee
Hansberry v. Lee, , is a famous case now usually known in civil procedure for teaching that res judicata may not bind a subsequent plaintiff who had no opportunity to be represented in the earlier civil action. The facts of the case dealt with a racially restrictive covenant that barred African...
case, which addressed the issue of restrictive covenant
Restrictive covenant
A restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...
s. It involved the Chicago home purchased by real estate broker Carl Augustus Hansberry
Carl Augustus Hansberry
Carl Augustus Hansberry was an American real estate broker, inventor and political activist. He was also the father of award-winning playwright Lorraine Hansberry and the great-grandfather of actress Taye Hansberry....
, father of playwright Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry was an African American playwright and author of political speeches, letters, and essays...
, with money borrowed from the Supreme Life Insurance Company.
Distinctions
In 1952, Dickerson became president of Supreme Life Insurance Company. Other positions Dickerson has held include head of the National Bar AssociationNational Bar Association
The National Bar Association was established in 1925 as the "Negro Bar Association" after Gertrude Rush, George H. Woodson, S. Joe Brown, James B. Morris, and Charles P. Howard, Sr. were denied membership in the American Bar Association. It represents the interests of African-American attorneys in...
, board member of the national NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
, grand polemarch of the Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity, and president of the Chicago Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
.
He died in his Chicago home on September 1, 1986 and was buried next to his wife Kathryn in Burr Oak, the cemetery he helped found.
Further reading
- Blakely, Robert J. (with Marcus Shepard). Earl B. Dickerson: A Voice for Freedom and Equality. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 2006.