Civil and Human Rights Coalition Mourns Passing of William T. Coleman Jr.

WASHINGTON—Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the passing of William T. Coleman, Jr., former Secretary of Transportation and 1991 recipient of the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award:

“William T. Coleman, Jr. broke barriers as the first African-American Supreme Court law clerk, and helped make our country more just and fair through his participation in several civil rights cases considered by the Supreme Court, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

He served with distinction in World War II, graduated first in his 1946 Harvard Law School Class before clerking for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, but still could not get a law firm job in Philadelphia following his clerkship. He was a visionary legal advocate with a deep belief in the meaning of the Constitution. In addition to his distinguished legal career, Coleman was Secretary of Transportation in the Ford administration, making him the second African American to serve as a cabinet secretary. President Bill Clinton presented Coleman with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995.

Coleman served as a board member of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund for more than two decades, and was always a strong advocate for the protection of the civil rights of all.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and all those who have benefited from his brilliant legal mind. A more just society will be his legacy.”

Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.