Noah W. Parden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Noah Walter Parden
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1868 |
| Died | February 23, 1944 (aged 75–76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Attorney, Politician |
| Years active | 1891–1940 |
| Known for | One of the first African-American attorneys to argue before the United States Supreme Court |
Noah Walter Parden (born around 1868 – February 23, 1944) was an important American lawyer and politician. He worked in Chattanooga, Tennessee, East St. Louis, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri from 1891 to 1940. In 1906, he made history as one of the first African-American lawyers to lead a case before the United States Supreme Court. He was also among the first to speak directly to the Court. Later, in 1935, he became the first African American to be named an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in St. Louis. This was a big step for public service.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Noah Parden was born near Rome, Georgia, likely in 1868. His mother had been a slave and worked as a housekeeper and cook. His father was a white man. When Noah was about seven years old, his mother passed away. He then went to live in an orphanage.
In 1884, Noah left Rome and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee. He supported himself by working as a barber and doing other small jobs. For five years, he attended Howard High School. He graduated in May 1890. After high school, he enrolled in the law program at Central Tennessee College in Nashville. He earned his law degree in 1891.
Family Life
In 1892, Noah married Mattie S. Broyles (1870 – 1934). She was from Dalton, Georgia, and they met in Nashville. They made their home in Chattanooga and lived there until 1906. They had two children: Frank B. Parden and Lillian Parden Bracy. After leaving Chattanooga, the Parden family lived for a short time in Pueblo, Colorado. Then they settled in East St. Louis, Illinois. In 1922, the Pardens moved to nearby St. Louis, Missouri. However, Noah Parden kept his law office in East St. Louis.
After Mattie Parden died in 1934, Noah Parden married Elizabeth Polk. She was from East St. Louis.
Noah Parden was a talented person. He could speak several languages and played the violin. He also knew a lot about art, music, and books. Even though he was a lawyer, he stayed connected to his country roots. By the late 1920s, he owned a large cotton farm near Hickory, Mississippi. He would visit the farm to relax and do farm work. He even knew how to sew and knit his own clothes!
Noah Parden passed away on February 23, 1944. He was buried at Booker Washington Cemetery in Centreville Station, Illinois. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth, his daughter, and a stepdaughter.
Legal and Political Career
Noah Parden worked as a lawyer for 49 years, from 1891 to 1940. He defended many people in court. Besides his own law practice, he also worked as a prosecutor. A prosecutor is a lawyer who works for the government to bring cases against people accused of crimes. He served as an assistant state's attorney in St. Clair County, Illinois, for nine years (1908-1917). He was also an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in St. Louis for five years (1935-1940). He sometimes wrote, edited, and gave speeches. He was also involved in local politics in East St. Louis and St. Louis.
Work in Chattanooga (1891-1906)
After getting his law degree in 1891, Noah Parden started his legal career in Chattanooga. In 1892, he briefly worked with another Black lawyer, James P. Easley. In 1895, Parden and Easley also published a newspaper called the Chattanooga Herald. Noah Parden soon sold his part of the paper. He became known as a very good defense lawyer. He often won cases for his African-American clients, even though the juries in local courts were all white.
Work in East St. Louis and St. Louis (1907-1940)
Noah Parden spent the rest of his career in the nearby cities of East St. Louis, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri. He moved to East St. Louis in late 1906 or early 1907. In 1922, he moved his family to St. Louis, Missouri. His law practice helped both white and Black clients. He also held a public office, serving on the St. Clair County Board of Supervisors. He was elected in 1907 and led the judiciary committee. However, his work during this time also showed how segregated, or separated, the legal and political systems were in these cities.
Role as a Prosecutor
Parden worked as a prosecutor in both cities. He was appointed several times as an Assistant State's Attorney in East St. Louis, serving from 1908 to 1917. He then became the first Black attorney to be appointed an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in St. Louis. He held this job from 1935 until he retired in 1940. In both places, he was given the job of prosecuting, or bringing charges against, African Americans who were accused of crimes. In East St. Louis, he prosecuted Black people accused of carrying hidden weapons. In St. Louis, his job was to prosecute Black men accused of leaving their families.
Appearing Before the Supreme Court
Noah Parden was allowed to practice law before the United States Supreme Court in 1906. He was recommended by Emanuel D. Molyneaux Hewlett, another African-American lawyer who was already a member of the Supreme Court bar. Hewlett often worked with Parden on cases involving Black people in the South. Parden only appeared before the Supreme Court once. This was for the Ed Johnson case, where he made an urgent appeal to Justice John Marshall Harlan.
A Pioneer for African-American Lawyers
Noah Parden was one of only a few African-American lawyers to present cases before the Supreme Court in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some historians believed he was the first Black lawyer to achieve two important things:
- Giving an oral argument (speaking directly to the Court) by himself, not as part of a team where a white lawyer did the talking.
- Being recognized as the main lawyer on a case that the full Supreme Court accepted.
However, other Black lawyers had achieved some of these milestones before Parden. For example, in 1890, Everett J. Waring, a Black lawyer from Baltimore, Maryland, argued the case of Jones v. United States. Many experts say Waring was the first African American to present an argument.
Two other Black lawyers argued cases before the Court in 1895. These cases challenged laws that kept Black people off grand juries in Mississippi. Parden's co-counsel, E.M. Hewlett, along with lawyer Cornelius J. Jones, argued the cases of Gibson v. State of Mississippi and Smith v. State of Mississippi. In 1900, Wilford H. Smith became the first African-American attorney to win a case before the Supreme Court, called Carter v. Texas. He was also the lead lawyer in that case, working with Hewlett.
Recognition and Honors
Since the early 2000s, Noah Parden's career and achievements have started to receive public recognition. In 2003, the Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution honoring Parden. They praised him "for his dedication and commitment to the causes of justice and equality." They also recognized "his contributions to the citizens of Illinois and the country."
In 2013, the Southern Center for Human Rights created the Noah Parden and Styles Hutchins Fellowships. These are three-year awards that support lawyers working at the center. They are named in honor of Parden and his partner in the Ed Johnson appeal.
