William J. Durham facts for kids
William J. Durham (1896–1970) was an important African-American lawyer and leader. He spent most of his life in Sherman, Texas. He worked hard for equal rights during the Civil Rights Movement.
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Early Life and Education
William J. Durham was born in 1896 on a farm near Sulphur Springs, Texas. He went to college at Emporia State University in Kansas. After college, he served in the United States Army in France during World War I.
Becoming a Lawyer
After the war, Durham moved to Sherman, Texas. He studied law in the office of a white lawyer named Benjamin F. Gafford. In 1926, William Durham passed his exams and became a lawyer. He then started his own law practice.
Fighting for Equal Rights
William Durham spent his life working for equal rights for Black people in Texas. This was a challenging time. In May 1930, a difficult event happened in Sherman where the Black business district was burned. This included Durham's office.
Leading the NAACP
Despite these challenges, Durham became a leader in the Texas NAACP. The NAACP is an organization that works for civil rights and racial equality. As an attorney for the NAACP, Durham handled more than forty civil rights cases. These cases aimed to end segregation across Texas. Segregation was a system that kept people of different races separated.
His Most Famous Case
One of his most important cases was called Sweatt v. Painter in 1950. In this case, William Durham worked closely with another famous civil rights lawyer, Thurgood Marshall. They planned the case from Durham's family home in Sherman. This case led to a big change: the University of Texas School of Law had to allow Black students to attend. This was a major step in ending segregation in schools.
Later Life
Later in his career, William Durham moved his law practice to Dallas, Texas. He continued to practice law there for many years. He passed away on December 22, 1970, and was buried in Greenville, Texas.
