Elreta Melton Alexander-Ralston facts for kids
Elreta Melton Alexander-Ralston (born March 19, 1919 – died March 14, 1998) was an amazing Black American lawyer and judge in North Carolina. She lived at a time when very few women or Black people were lawyers in the state. Elreta had a special career as a trial lawyer and a judge in the North Carolina District Court. People remember her because she "refused to let her background or the challenges of her time stop her from reaching her goals." Even with all her achievements, Judge Alexander's story is not widely known. This shows that many Black women lawyers haven't received enough recognition for their important work in law.
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Her Early Life
Elreta Narcissus Melton was born on March 21, 1919, in Smithfield, a small town in eastern North Carolina. Her father, Joseph C. Melton, was a Baptist minister and a teacher. Her mother, Alian A. Reynolds Melton, was also a schoolteacher.
Elreta's father strongly believed that all his children should go to college. He felt that "education was key to preparing his family for life." Her parents also stood up against unfair racial rules. They did not let their children ride segregated buses or take part in other forms of segregation.
After living for about twelve years in Danville, Virginia, Elreta's family moved back to North Carolina. This time, they settled in the busy city of Greensboro. In 1937, when she was eighteen, Elreta graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College. Today, this school is known as North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music.
After college, she became a high school teacher in South Carolina. There, she met Girardeau “Tony” Alexander II, a doctor. They got married in Asheboro, North Carolina, on June 7, 1938. They had one son, Girardeau Alexander III, who was born on October 4, 1950. Elreta and Dr. Girardeau Alexander later divorced on March 12, 1968. Elreta married John D. Ralston, a retired IRS official, on August 23, 1979.
Judge Elreta Alexander-Ralston passed away on March 14, 1998. She was seventy-eight years old, just one week before her seventy-ninth birthday. She asked for no funeral. Her ashes were buried in a small grove behind a nursing home in Greensboro.
Her Career in Law
Becoming a Lawyer
It was hard for Black women to get into law schools in North Carolina back then. With her husband's encouragement, Elreta applied to Columbia Law School. In 1943, at age twenty-four, she became the first Black woman ever accepted there. This was a huge achievement! Only three Black students, all men, had been admitted before her.
At first, Elreta thought law school was just a way to "pass the time." But she soon became very interested in becoming a lawyer. She grew popular among her classmates. In 1945, she made history again by becoming the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia Law School.
As a Trial Attorney
In 1947, Elreta passed the North Carolina bar exam. This made her the first Black woman to practice law in North Carolina. It's important to know that Ruth Whitehead Whaley was the first Black woman admitted to the North Carolina bar, but she never actually worked as a lawyer in the state.
Elreta opened her own law office in Greensboro. She often helped people accused of crimes. She frequently went against what was expected, for example, by representing a white client. Later, she helped create one of the first law firms in the South that included both Black and white lawyers. It was called Alston, Alexander, Pell & Pell. During her time as a trial attorney, she added another "first" to her list. She became the first Black woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court of North Carolina.
As a District Court Judge
In November 1968, Elreta Alexander became the first Black judge elected in North Carolina. She was also the first Black woman to be elected a district court judge anywhere in the United States. She ran for election as a Republican. She felt the Democratic Party "didn't seem to care enough about the needs of African Americans."
Elreta ran unopposed and was re-elected in 1972, 1976, and 1980. One of her most famous achievements as a District Court Judge was "Judgment Day." This was her new way of helping young people who broke the law. Instead of just punishing them, she focused on helping them learn from their mistakes.
In 1974, Judge Alexander ran for the Republican nomination for Chief Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. She lost to James Newcomb, a fire extinguisher salesman who had no college degree or legal background. However, her loss led to an important change in the state's rules. A constitutional amendment was later passed. It required that all judges must be licensed attorneys in North Carolina.
See also
- List of African-American jurists
- List of first women lawyers and judges in North Carolina
