L. Clifford Davis facts for kids
L. Clifford Davis (born October 12, 1924 – died February 15, 2025) was an American lawyer. He worked hard to get into the University of Arkansas Law School. His efforts helped open the door for African-American students to attend the school. He also spent over 30 years as a lawyer and judge. He even helped Thurgood Marshall with the famous Brown v. Board of Education case, which was about ending segregation in schools.
L. Clifford Davis's Life and Work
L. Clifford Davis was born in Wilton, Arkansas. In his hometown, schools for Black students only went up to the eighth grade. Because of this, Clifton went to high school at Dunbar High School in Little Rock. He finished college at Philander Smith College in 1945.
The state of Arkansas offered to pay for Davis to attend a law school out of state. This was done to avoid him being in a classroom with white students. However, Davis realized that living costs at Howard University in Washington, D.C. were very high. He then insisted on applying to the University of Arkansas.
In 1947, after trying for two years, he was allowed into the University of Arkansas Law School. But there was a condition: he could not be in the same room as white students. This included classrooms, the library, and even restrooms. Davis decided not to accept these terms. Instead, he completed his law degree at Howard University in 1949.
After finishing law school, he returned to Arkansas. He passed the bar exam and started his own law practice in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. In 1952, he moved to Waco, Texas to teach at Paul Quinn College. He passed the bar exam in Texas as well. By 1954, he became one of only two Black lawyers in Fort Worth, Texas.
Fighting for Equal Rights
In 1956, L. Clifford Davis filed a federal lawsuit. This lawsuit led to a court order to integrate public schools in Mansfield, Texas. However, threats of violence from white students kept those schools separate for some time.
In 1959, he won another important case called Flax v. Potts. This lawsuit forced the schools in Fort Worth to integrate. He also helped create the Fort Worth Black Bar Association in 1977.
In 1983, Governor Mark White appointed him as a judge in a criminal district court. He served as a judge until 1988, when he lost an election. After that, he continued to work as a visiting judge until 2004.
Awards and Recognition
L. Clifford Davis received many awards and honors for his important work. These included the NAACP’s William Robert Ming Award. He also received the Blackstone Award, which is the highest honor from the Tarrant County Bar Association. He was inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame. Texas Lawyer also gave him a Lifetime Achievement award.
An elementary school in Fort Worth, Texas, is named after him. In 2017, when he was 92 years old, the University of Arkansas School of Law gave him an honorary doctorate. This was given in place of the law degree he was not allowed to fully earn in 1949.
Davis passed away on February 15, 2025, at the age of 100.
