Graham T. Perry

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Graham T. Perry
Born
Graham Turner Perry[1]

(1894-04-22)April 22, 1894
Columbia, Tennessee
DiedSeptember 9, 1960(1960-09-09) (aged 66)[2]
Chicago, Illinois[2]
Alma materMorehouse College (1923)[1]
Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1923)
OccupationAttorney
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Laura Pearl Gant (?–1957) (her death)
Helen E. Clem (1959–1960) (his death)
ChildrenShauneille Perry

Graham T. Perry (1894–1960) was a prominent African-American attorney who served as assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois. He is also the father of stage director Shauneille Perry and uncle of playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

Biography[]

According to the 1900 U.S. Census, Perry was born in April 1894[3] (some sources indicate either April 22, 1897,[4] January 22, 1898[1] or April 22, 1900)[5][6] in Columbia, Tennessee,[1][4][5] the youngest child of the Rev. George W. Perry,[3] an escaped former slave,[7] and Charlotte "Lottie" Organ. He received his elementary and secondary school education in Columbia. After graduating from College Hill School,[1] he later attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. At Morehouse, Perry was a well-rounded student who in addition to the being a member of the debate team, played varsity baseball, sang in the Glee Club, served as assistant advertising manager of the school yearbook, and was a Shakespearean actor who appeared in a production of Othello. He was also a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[1] In 1923, he received the degree of juris doctor from the Northwestern University School of Law.[8]

He was very active in civil rights, having served as vice president of the Chicago branch of the NAACP.[9] He also served on the board of the Chicago branch of the Urban League.[2]

In 1941, he was elected to the post of assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois.[8] After Nathan K. McGill, he was one of the first African Americans to hold that position in the state.[10][11] No African American would serve as a state's attorney general until Edward Brooke was elected Attorney General of Massachusetts in 1962.[12] Perry served as an assistant attorney general from 1942 to 1950, and specialized in military and labor-related issues. This included cases involving the reinstatement of veterans to positions they held prior to military service.[2]

During World War II, Perry helped enforce anti-discrimination requirements with firms holding war contracts.[2]

In January 1948, he was chosen by the Republican party as a candidate for judge in Chicago's Municipal court.[13] Despite a strong showing by U.S. presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey at the top of the ticket, the Chicago Democrats had a clean sweep of the local election in November of that year. Perry received a total of 638,689 votes and tied for twenty-first place out of 33 candidates for twelve positions.[14]

In 1953, Perry was appointed assistant United States attorney to handle cases involving military conscientious objectors. He was working in a similar capacity for the northern district of Illinois at the time of his death.[2]

He died on September 9, 1960 at his home in Chicago.[2][5][6] and is buried at the Burr Oak Cemetery[6] near Chicago.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The Torch Yearbook". Atlanta University Center. Morehouse College. 1923. p. 44. Retrieved 25 Dec 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Rites Tuesday for G.T. Perry, negro leader". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. 12 September 1960. p. 72. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Twelfth Census of the United States (1900) [database on-line], Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee, Enumeration District: 78, Page: 15A, Line: 8, household of George W. Perry". United States: The Generations Network. 1900-06-18. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  4. ^ a b "World War I Draft Registration Card [database on-line]". United States: The Generations Network. 1918. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  5. ^ a b c "None". Chicago Bar Record. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Bar Association. 42: 348–349. 1960.
  6. ^ a b c "Burr Oak Cemetery Information [database on-line]". Chicago, Illinois: Cook County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  7. ^ Scheader, Catherine (1998). Lorraine Hansberry: Playwright and Voice of Justice (First Library ed.). Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers. p. 24. ISBN 9780894909450.
  8. ^ a b Jones, Edward Allen (1967). A candle in the dark: a history of Morehouse College. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press. p. 243.
  9. ^ Wilkins, Roy, ed. (July 1935). "Branch news". Crisis. New York, New York: Crisis Publishing Company, Inc. 42 (7): 216.
  10. ^ Yenser, Thomas, ed. (1938–1940). Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Persons of African Descent in America. Brooklyn, New York: Who's Who in Colored America.
  11. ^ King, Woodie (2003). The Impact of Race: Theatre and Culture (First ed.). New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 145–146.
  12. ^ Brooke, Senator Edward W. (2007). Bridging the Divide: My Life. New Brunswick, New Jersey and London: Rutgers University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-8135-3905-8.
  13. ^ Tagge, George (30 January 1948). "G.O.P. Picks Its Municipal Court Slate". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 17. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Final election figures". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. 4 November 1948. p. 2. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
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