William Henry Hastie:
On This Day In 1943, Attorney And Educator, William Henry Hastie Was Awarded The NAACP's Spingarn Medal For A "distinguished career as a jurist and as an uncompromising champion of equal justice."
Born On November 17, 1904, In Knoxville, Tennessee, Hastie Graduated Magna Cum Laude From Amherst College In Massachusetts, Before Attending Harvard Law School. There He Received A Doctorate In Judicial Studies.
He Moved To Washington, DC And Became A Law Professor At Howard University, Where One Of His Students Was Future Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall.
Hastie Became Part Of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet." He Also Became Both The First Black Judge On The U.S. Court Of Appeals (He Resigned From The Court In 1939 To Became Dean Of The Howard University Law School). And The First Black Governor Of The U.S. Virgin Islands (1946-1949).
During World War II, Hastie Worked As A Civilian Aide To The Secretary Of War, Henry Stimson. He Resigned His Post In Protest Of Continued Racial Bigotry In The U.S. Army.
Dr. Hastie Died April 14, 1976, While Playing Golf.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
