Louis L. Redding

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Louis Lorenzo Redding (October 25, 1901 – September 28, 1998) was a prominent lawyer and civil rights advocate from

In 2009, the Redding House Foundation opened the Redding House Museum in his childhood home in Wilmington.

Career

Redding began practicing law in Delaware in 1929, becoming the first African American lawyer in Delaware. He remained the sole non-white lawyer for more than 25 years. Redding handled cases that successfully challenged discrimination in housing, public accommodations, employment, and the criminal justice system.

Redding represented the plaintiffs in several Delaware cases that challenged segregation in Delaware. In 1950, he brought a case before the Chancery Court against the University of Delaware, which barred black students from admission, citing the "separate but equal" doctrine. Parker v. the University of Delaware was decided for the plaintiffs, thereby requiring the University to admit black students. It was the first state-funded undergraduate institution to desegregate by court order.^[4]

In 1952, Redding brought two cases to desegregate public schools in Claymont (Belton v. Gephart) and Hockessin (Bulah v. Gephart). Gebhart v. Belton was combined with cases from three other states and the District of Columbia to become part of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1954 known as Brown v. Board of Education.^[1] Redding argued the Brown case with a team of attorneys that included Thurgood Marshall.^[5] Redding also successfully argued Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority before the US Supreme Court in 1961 which held that segregation in public accommodations was not permissible.^[6]

He practiced law for 57 years, opening doors to education and accommodations for many in Delaware and the nation. After his death in 1998, the University of Delaware established the Louis L. Redding Chair for the Study of Law and Public Policy.^[7] A residence hall (opened in 2013) at the University of Delaware's Newark Campus was named after him.^[8] In 2016, an historic marker was unveiled for Louis L. Redding to educate future generations about his legacy and modern relevance.^[9]

Personal

Louis Redding was the eldest of seven children. Redding's brother, J. Saunders Redding, was a noted author and college professor. His sisters Lillian Redding Bailey and C. Gwendolyn Redding were teachers in the Wilmington School System. Two of his siblings, Joseph and Hattie, died in childhood and another, Jannetta Mayson Redding, died during her college years. Louis Redding was married twice. He had three daughters—Ann, Rupa, and Judith—with his first wife Ruth Albert Cook Redding. After they divorced he married Gwendolyn Carmen Kiah.

See also

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Delaware

References