Frederick B. Abramson
Encyclopedia
Frederick B. Abramson, has a lengthy and distinguished career in the Washington D.C. legal community, including service as President of the District of Columbia Bar from June 1985 to June 1986.
Abramson was raised in Harlem
- his father was an elevator operator
, and his mother was a food service worker - but he attended a program for gifted students at Stuyvesant High School
, before transferring to Cornwall Academy
in Connecticut
after receiving a scholarship that his sister had seen advertised in the Amsterdam News. He was the first African-American student to attend Cornwall, and later became one of only four African-American students in his class at Yale University
, from which he graduated in 1956, also after receiving a scholarship. Although his first ambition was to teach English
, Abramson went on to earn his Juris Doctor
from the University of Chicago School of Law in 1959, and a few years later settled in Washington, D.C., where he would practice law
and participate in the governance of the legal profession for the rest of his life.
After stints in the United States Justice Department and with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Abramson went into private practice. He was one of the first black associates in a major Washington law firm while working for the firm of Arnold & Porter
from 1969 to 1973, when he become a partner in Rollinson & Schaumberg. In 1977, Abramson became a partner in Sachs, Greenebaum & Taylor, where he would remain until 1990. In January 1991, he became the first African-American head of the Office of Bar Counsel for the D.C. Court of Appeals, supervising investigations of attorneys alleged to have violated the Rules of Professional Responsibility
. He held the position for only five months before succumbing to pneumonia
at the age of 56.
At the time of his death Abramson was also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the District of Columbia Law School. Among the other civic commitments undertaken by Abramson:
Abramson's death prompted members of the District's legal community to create the Frederick B. Abramson Memorial Foundation, which provides opportunities for young African-American men and women to further their education.
Abramson was raised in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
- his father was an elevator operator
Elevator operator
An elevator operator is a person specifically employed to operate a manually operated elevator...
, and his mother was a food service worker - but he attended a program for gifted students at Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
, before transferring to Cornwall Academy
Cornwall Academy
Cornwall Academy was a non-sectarian college preparatory school for boys located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts among the Berkshire Hills of western New England. Its founder was John Geddes Moran, an intellectual and compassionate man who acted as Headmaster for the life of the institution....
in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
after receiving a scholarship that his sister had seen advertised in the Amsterdam News. He was the first African-American student to attend Cornwall, and later became one of only four African-American students in his class at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, from which he graduated in 1956, also after receiving a scholarship. Although his first ambition was to teach English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, Abramson went on to earn his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Chicago School of Law in 1959, and a few years later settled in Washington, D.C., where he would practice law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and participate in the governance of the legal profession for the rest of his life.
After stints in the United States Justice Department and with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Abramson went into private practice. He was one of the first black associates in a major Washington law firm while working for the firm of Arnold & Porter
Arnold & Porter
Arnold & Porter LLP is a nine-office international law firm based in Washington, D.C. Arnold & Porter is well known for its trial, corporate, and antitrust work, and for its pro bono commitments and support for liberal causes.-History:...
from 1969 to 1973, when he become a partner in Rollinson & Schaumberg. In 1977, Abramson became a partner in Sachs, Greenebaum & Taylor, where he would remain until 1990. In January 1991, he became the first African-American head of the Office of Bar Counsel for the D.C. Court of Appeals, supervising investigations of attorneys alleged to have violated the Rules of Professional Responsibility
Professional responsibility
Professional responsibility is the area of legal practice that encompasses the duties of attorneys to act in a professional manner, obey the law, avoid conflicts of interest, and put the interests of clients ahead of their own interests....
. He held the position for only five months before succumbing to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at the age of 56.
At the time of his death Abramson was also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the District of Columbia Law School. Among the other civic commitments undertaken by Abramson:
- Nine years on the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission, four as Chair
- Member of the ABAAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
Commission on Opportunities for Minorities
- Member of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal JudiciaryUnited States federal courtsThe United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
- Member of the board of directors of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law
- Member of the board of directors of the D.C. Public Defender Service
- Member of the board of directors of the National Women's Law Center.
- Member of the board of directors of Century National Bank of Washington.
Abramson's death prompted members of the District's legal community to create the Frederick B. Abramson Memorial Foundation, which provides opportunities for young African-American men and women to further their education.