Henry J. Richardson Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry J. Richardson Jr.
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Indiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1932–1936 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Henry Johnson Richardson Jr.
June 21, 1902 Huntsville, Alabama, US |
| Died | December 5, 1983 (aged 81) Indianapolis, Indiana, US |
| Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Indiana Law School University of Illinois |
| Occupation | Civil rights lawyer and activist |
Henry Johnson Richardson Jr. (born June 21, 1902 – died December 5, 1983) was an important civil rights lawyer and activist. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1932 to 1936 and also a judge in Marion County, Indiana.
Richardson played a big role in getting Indiana's school desegregation law passed in 1949. This law helped end racial separation in schools. He also helped start the Indianapolis Urban League in 1965, an organization that works for civil rights.
In 1932, Henry Richardson was one of the first two African Americans elected to the Indiana state house as a Democrat. He helped pass state laws that:
- Integrated the Indiana National Guard (meaning people of all races could join together).
- Ended racial discrimination in public places like restaurants and hotels.
- Stopped discrimination in student housing at Indiana University.
- Made sure there was fair hiring for public work projects.
In 1953, Richardson also won an important court case about discrimination in public housing. He was a strong voice against unfair treatment and was active in many groups, like the National Urban League and the NAACP.
Contents
His Early Life and School Days
Henry Johnson Richardson Jr. was born on June 21, 1902, in Huntsville, Alabama. His parents were Henry J. and Louise M. Richardson. His father was an insurance agent and had served in the Spanish–American War. His mother stayed at home.
When Henry was seventeen, his parents sent him to Indianapolis, Indiana, so he could get a better education. While he attended Shortridge High School, he lived at the Indianapolis Senate Avenue Young Men's Christian Association. He worked as a waiter to pay for his expenses.
Henry graduated from Shortridge High School in 1921. He then went to the University of Illinois for two years on a scholarship. At the university, he was the editor of a student newspaper called The College Dreamer. He briefly went back to Huntsville when his mother passed away.
In 1925, he moved back to Indianapolis. He earned his law degree in 1928 from the Indiana Law School. This school later became part of the Indiana University School of Law.
Family Life
Henry Richardson married Roselyn Vivian Comer on September 18, 1938. Roselyn was from Georgia. She had studied at Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School and Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia. She also got a certificate from the Atlanta University School of Social Work. Before they married, she worked for the American Friends Service Committee.
Henry and Roselyn Richardson had two sons: Henry J. III and Rodney C. Richardson. Roselyn Richardson was also very active in community work in Indianapolis. She especially worked hard to end segregation in Indianapolis Public Schools.
A Lawyer and Politician for Change
Starting in the 1930s
After finishing law school in 1928, Henry Richardson became very interested in politics. He joined the Democratic Party. This party was starting to gain support from African Americans across the country. In 1930, he was appointed as a temporary judge in Marion County Superior Court.
In 1932, Richardson was one of two African Americans elected to the Indiana House of Representatives as a Democrat. He and Robert Stanton (who represented Gary) were the first African Americans elected to the Indiana General Assembly in the 20th century. Richardson served two terms, winning re-election in 1934.
While he was a state representative, Richardson worked on important laws:
- In 1935, he supported a law to change the state constitution. This change allowed the Indiana National Guard to be integrated.
- He helped end discrimination in dorms at Indiana University. Before this, African American students were not allowed to live in campus housing.
- In 1934, he and six other lawmakers helped pass a bill to end racial discrimination in public places.
Richardson also supported a law to ensure fair hiring practices. This law stopped state or city groups from discriminating in their contracts for public projects. He tried twice to make the state's 1885 Civil Rights Law stronger, but these attempts were not successful. Because of his strong actions, Richardson was seen as a "political maverick." The Democratic Party did not nominate him for the state legislature in 1936.
From 1933 to 1934, Richardson was a lawyer for the Home Owners Loan Corporation in Indiana. He also continued his work as a civil rights activist. From 1932 to 1938, he led the Civil Liberties Division of the National Bar Association. This group was created by Black lawyers because they were not allowed to join the American Bar Association.
In 1938, Richardson helped start the Federation of Associated Clubs. This local group of African-American organizations worked for civil rights. In 1942, this group helped end segregation in Indianapolis theaters.
Working for Change in the 1940s
During the 1940s, Richardson kept working for civil rights. In 1940, he was appointed to the Indiana Board of Public Welfare, where he served for four years.
In 1947, Richardson led a committee that wrote and worked to pass Indiana's "Anti-Hate" Law. This law aimed to end racial segregation in the state. That same year, he also got a court order that stopped Dixiecrat Party candidates, including Strom Thurmond, from being on the Indiana ballot. In 1948, Richardson was appointed as a special judge for Marion County Criminal Court.
Henry Richardson is most famous for his work in 1949 to pass Indiana's school desegregation law. He was a key lobbyist and strategist for this effort. Indiana's governor signed the Hunter-Binder bill (House Bill 242) into law in March 1949. This happened before the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, which said that segregation in public schools was against the law.
The Indiana law ordered public schools in the state to integrate by 1954. It also stopped unfair hiring practices. School districts that did not follow the new law could lose public funding. Even with this law, some Indiana school districts, like those in Indianapolis, Evansville, and Gary, were slow to integrate. Activists had to take more legal action to make sure the law was followed. In Indianapolis, legal challenges to the state law continued for over twenty years.
Richardson was also considered for government jobs outside Indiana. In 1939, he was nominated to be a federal judge. In 1949, he was nominated to be governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, he was not approved for either position.
Continuing the Fight in the 1950s and 1960s
Richardson continued to work on civil rights issues. He was a leader in many organizations and a lawyer for some groups. Since 1935, he had been the legal representative for Indiana's chapter of the NAACP. In 1953, he worked with Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley from the national NAACP office. Together, they won Jessie Woodbridge, et al. v. Housing Authority of Evansville, Indiana. This was a very important court case about discrimination in public housing. In 1958, Richardson became Indiana's first life member of the NAACP.
From 1963 to 1967, Richardson was a member of the Indiana State Real Estate Commission. From 1964 to 1968, he served on the Federal Civil Rights Commission. He also helped start the Indianapolis Urban League in 1965. Later, he was the group's president for several years. He also served on the board of the National Urban League from 1966 to 1970.
Other Community Service
Besides his leadership and civil rights work with the Urban League, NAACP, and Federation of Associated Clubs, Richardson was involved in many other community groups in Indiana. He was active in the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church and a board member of the Indianapolis Church Federation. He also served on the Indiana Board of Public Welfare and the Indiana State Real Estate Commission. He was a strong supporter of Indianapolis's Senate Ave YMCA. He was also active in the United Negro College Fund, serving as a local chairman and a member of the national board.
In the last twenty years of his life, Richardson was a member of the Mayor's Advisory Council and the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. In the 1970s, Richardson was among the African-American community leaders in Indianapolis who strongly opposed UniGov. This was a plan to combine some city and county government departments. The UniGov bill passed the Indiana General Assembly and was put into action in Indianapolis and Marion County.
His Legacy and Passing
Henry J. Richardson Jr. passed away in Indianapolis on December 5, 1983. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Richardson was a civil rights lawyer and activist in Indianapolis for a long time. He is best known for helping pass Indiana's school desegregation law in 1949. He was also a strong voice against racial prejudice and discrimination.
He led efforts to pass state laws that:
- Integrated the Indiana National Guard.
- Ended racial discrimination in public places and at Indiana University's student housing.
- Ensured fair employment practices for public work projects.
Richardson also used the state's legal system to stop Dixiecrat Party candidates from being on the Indiana ballot in the 1940s. He also won a very important legal case against public housing discrimination in 1953.
Richardson was an active leader in many groups. These included the National Urban League, the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, and local groups like the Indianapolis Urban League, the Indiana Board of Public Welfare, and the Indianapolis Church Federation.
Awards and Recognition
Henry Richardson received many awards for his work. The most notable ones include:
- A Sagamore of the Wabash, which is a high honor from the Governor of Indiana.
- An honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1978 from Indiana Central University (now known as the University of Indianapolis).
