Draft:Gustavus Woodson Wickliffe
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- G. Woodson Wickliffe and Woodson Wickliffe should link here G. W. Wickliffe?
Gustavus Woodson Wickliffe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1869 Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | May 31, 1921 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Gustavus Woodson Wickliffe I, G. Woodson Wickliffe |
| Known for | first Black lawyer to pass the bar exam in Southern California; first Black lawyer to be admit to practice in the State of California courts |
Gustavus Woodson Wickliffe (1869 – 1921)[1] also known as G. Woodson Wickliffe, was an American lawyer in California. He was the first Black lawyer to pass the bar exam in Southern California, and the first to be admitted to practice in the State of California courts.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Gustavus Woodson Wickliffe was born in 1869, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[2] He was from a prominent family in the city.[1] He attended Howard High School in Nashville[2] and graduated from the law school at Howard University in Washington, D.C.[2]
He married on July 3, 1901, to Minerva "Minnie" Clyde Mitchell.[3][4][5] They had a daughter, Caroline Wickliffe Antoine of Washington D.C. and a son, Gustavus Woodson Wickliffe II of Los Angeles. He had a son and grandson with the same name (II & III). His son-in-law was Jacques Carmeleau Antoine, the ambassador from Haiti to the United States, who worked for the UN on issues in Africa.[6]
Career
[edit]In 1894, he passed the bar exam in Southern California, and was the first Black person to achieve this in Southern California.[7] However two years later in 1896, Washington J. Oglesby was the first Black person who passed the California State Bar Exam, but he was refused bar admittance until 1902.[8]
He lived and worked from 127 N. Main Street in Los Angeles, which is the current Los Angeles City Hall location. His office in 1897 was located at 11 McDonald Building, Los Angeles.[9]
In 1901, Governor Henry T. Gage appointed Wickliffe as a clerk to the California State Board of Harbor Commission.[2] The appointment of Attorney Wickliffe made him the first Black man to hold a position of that kind in this State. He was the first Black attorney admit to practice in the State of California courts.[2] For his appointment, the family moved to San Francisco, where they remained until 1908.[5]
A newspaper commented on the appointment that "The Governor, by this appointment, shows that he does not regard the distribution of a few spittoon jobs among the Negroes as political recognition and by making its puts all of his supporters upon the same level. The position could not have been given to a more worthy gentleman, and his friends, regardless of politics, are elated over his success."[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "G. W. Wickliffe". Chattanooga Daily Times. June 1, 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-03-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Men of the Month" (PDF). The Crisis. Vol. 23, no. 2. December 1921. p. 78. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2018.
- ^ Oberlin College (March 19, 1927). "Bulletin" – via Google Books.
- ^ "Marriage of Wickliffe and Mitchell". The Los Angeles Times. 1901-07-05. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-03-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Mrs. Wickliffe Leaves Estate of $50,000". The California Eagle. 1960-04-28. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-03-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Collection: Jacques Carmeleau Antoine, Ambassador from Haiti, Papers". West Virginia University Archivesspace.
- ^ "G. W. Wickliffe's Funeral Delayed". Los Angeles Evening Express. 1921-06-02. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-03-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Washington Oglesby dies without having been sick". San Francisco Chronicle. 1902-07-07. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-03-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "California Attorneys' Directory: Also Containing Complete List of All County Officers and Justices of the Peace in the State of California, and State Officers". C.W. Palm Company. March 19, 1897. p. 55 – via Google Books.
- ^ Edmonds, Jefferson Lewis (June 19, 1901). "Liberator - 1901-06". Liberator Publishing Company – via Internet Archive.