John Doar
Encyclopedia
John Michael Doar is an American
lawyer
and currently senior counsel with the law firm
Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack in New York
.
He served as First Assistant and then Assistant Attorney General
for Civil Rights
in the U.S. Dept. of Justice
, from 1960 to 1967, during which time he was involved in several of the most significant events of the American civil rights movement. In 1962, Doar confronted Ross Barnett
over Barnett's attempts to prevent James Meredith
from entering the then-segregated
University of Mississippi
. He also prosecuted and convicted Collie Leroy Wilkins for federal civil rights violations in the murder
of Viola Liuzzo
, before an all-white jury
in Alabama
. As a federal prosecutor Doar could not prosecute someone for murder, which was a state offense. In 1963, Doar confronted and calmed an angry mob after the murder of Medgar Evers
.
He prosecuted the federal case for civil rights violations against the people who were accused of lynching Andrew Goodman
, James Chaney
and Michael Schwerner
, in events which were later depicted in the movie
Mississippi Burning
. Doar later contributed to drafting the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which Lyndon Johnson signed in an attempt to solve some of the problems that he had observed in the deep south.
He left the government in the later part of the Johnson administration, returning only in 1974 as Chief Counsel for the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
, which was then investigating the Watergate scandal
and preparing articles of impeachment
against Richard Nixon
.
Doar is a graduate of Princeton University
(A.B. 1944) and the University of California-Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law (LL.B. 1949). His son, Robert Doar
is Commissioner of the New York City
Human Resources Administration
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and currently senior counsel with the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
United States Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an Assistant Attorney General.The President of the United States appoints individuals to the position of Assistant Attorney General with the advice and consent of the Senate...
for Civil Rights
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
in the U.S. Dept. of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, from 1960 to 1967, during which time he was involved in several of the most significant events of the American civil rights movement. In 1962, Doar confronted Ross Barnett
Ross Barnett
Ross Robert Barnett was the governor of Mississippi from 1960 to 1964. He was a States' Rights Democrat.- Early life :...
over Barnett's attempts to prevent James Meredith
James Meredith
James H. Meredith is an American civil rights movement figure, a writer, and a political adviser. In 1962, he was the first African American student admitted to the segregated University of Mississippi, an event that was a flashpoint in the American civil rights movement. Motivated by President...
from entering the then-segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
. He also prosecuted and convicted Collie Leroy Wilkins for federal civil rights violations in the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Viola Liuzzo
Viola Liuzzo
Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo was a Unitarian Universalist civil rights activist from Michigan, who was murdered by Ku Klux Klan members after the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama...
, before an all-white jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. As a federal prosecutor Doar could not prosecute someone for murder, which was a state offense. In 1963, Doar confronted and calmed an angry mob after the murder of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers
Medgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi...
.
He prosecuted the federal case for civil rights violations against the people who were accused of lynching Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
, James Chaney
James Chaney
James Earl "J.E." Chaney , from Meridian, Mississippi, was one of three American civil rights workers who were murdered during Freedom Summer by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia...
and Michael Schwerner
Michael Schwerner
Michael Henry Schwerner , was one of three Congress of Racial Equality field workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan in response to their civil rights work, which included promoting voting registration among Mississippi African Americans...
, in events which were later depicted in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
. Doar later contributed to drafting the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which Lyndon Johnson signed in an attempt to solve some of the problems that he had observed in the deep south.
He left the government in the later part of the Johnson administration, returning only in 1974 as Chief Counsel for the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
United States House Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement...
, which was then investigating the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
and preparing articles of impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
against Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Doar is a graduate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(A.B. 1944) and the University of California-Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law (LL.B. 1949). His son, Robert Doar
Robert Doar
Robert Doar is the Commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration . He was appointed to the position by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on January 8, 2007. He has maintained the Administration’s focus on work, placing over 75,000 recipients of benefits into jobs each year and expanding...
is Commissioner of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Human Resources Administration
New York City Human Resources Administration
The New York City Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services is a Mayoral Agency of the New York City government in charge of the majority of the city’s social services programs. HRA helps New Yorkers in need through a variety of services that promote employment and personal...
.