William Robert Ming
Captain William Robert Ming Jr. | |
---|---|
332nd Fighter Group | |
Awards | |
Alma mater | University of Chicago |
Spouse(s) |
Irvena Ming (m. 1941) |
Other work | Civil rights attorney and law professor |
William Robert Ming Jr. (May 7, 1911 – June 30, 1973) was an American
Early life and education
Ming was born on May 7, 1911, to Annie and William Ming Sr., a
Ming earned a
Legal career
Ming was admitted to the bar in 1933 and subsequently practiced law in both public and private capacities.
Military service
Ming volunteered and served in the Army's
Freeman Field Mutiny
He was one of ten officers to preside over the Freeman Field mutiny Court-Martials. They were appointed by General Frank O'Driscoll Hunter. Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Captain George L. Knox II, Captain James T. Wiley, captain John H. Duren, Captain Charles R. Stanton, captain William T. Yates, Captain Elmore M. Kennedy]], Captain Fitzroy Newsum, 1st Lieutenant William Robert Ming Jr., 1st Lieutenant James Y. Carter. Trial Judge Advocates were: Captain James W. Redden and 1st Lieutenant Charles B. Hall.[6]
Litigation
Ming was one of the architects of the legal strategy leading to the
Other important decisions Ming played a role in include:
King trial
In
King's wife, Coretta Scott King, would later say of the trial: "A southern jury of twelve white men had acquitted Martin. It was a triumph of justice, a miracle that restored your faith in human good."[14]
Organizations
In addition to his litigation work, Ming served in leadership and other capacities such as
Academics
Ming was a professor at both Howard University School of Law and University of Chicago Law School, teaching at the latter from 1947 to 1953, where he became the first African American full-time faculty member at a predominantly white law school.[1][3] Pauli Murray, a student at Howard under Ming, remembered him as discouraging female students as a young professor, commenting on the first day of class, "I don't know why women come to law school anyway".[16]
Tax evasion and incarceration
In 1970, Ming was prosecuted for tax evasion and, despite having paid the back taxes and fines, was sentenced to 16 months in prison. In January 1973, he began to serve his sentence. A number of friends and colleagues urged authorities to grant him parole and release from prison.[17] After a stroke, Ming was paroled and sent to Veteran's Research Hospital in Chicago.[4]
Death and legacy
Ming died in a hospital in Chicago on June 30, 1973.[4][7]
In his eulogy, colleague Robert L. Tucker noted Ming's "finer and most productive years were spent in the trenches and upon the blood-stained battlefields" of the Civil Rights Movement.[2]
In April 1974, the NAACP National Board of Directors created the William Robert Ming Advocacy Award to be awarded annually to a lawyer "who exemplifies the spirit of financial and personal sacrifice that Mr. Ming displayed in his legal work for the NAACP."[18][3][19]
References
- ^ a b c d "William Robert Ming, Jr". Howard University School of Law. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- ^ a b c d Jim McElhatton (December 7, 2008). "Standing on 'the shoulders of Bob Ming'". Washington Times. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- ^ a b c d e "NAACP Legal Department Awards". NAACP. Archived from the original on 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- ^ a b c "A Case of Black and White". Ebony. December 1973. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- ISBN 978-0-87013-502-6.
- ISBN 9781455601257. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Afro-American. Baltimore. July 14, 1973. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
- ^ Ward v. Texas, 316 U.S. 547 (June 1, 1942).
- ^ "Case Dismissed". The Crisis. January 1961. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- Baltimore Afro-American. February 3, 1962. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
- ^ S.J. Ackerman (Jun 11, 2000). "The Trials of S.W. Tucker; The Alexandria-born lawyer wasn't one of the most famous leaders of the civil rights struggle. But his enemies always knew who he was". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ Steve W. Duncan (May 28, 1960). "Ala. agent admits 'ok' of Dr. King". Afro-American. Baltimore. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
As the first day of the perjury trial of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., ended Wednesday, followers of the integration leader saw little chance that the all-white jury would acquit.
- ^ "King defense Planning Lengthy Testimony". Florence Times. Alabama. May 26, 1960. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
Ming, one of six Negro lawyers defending King, drew several major concessions from the [tax] agent.
- ^ S2CID 145677794. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
- ISBN 978-0-446-52412-4.
- ISBN 9780674046870.
- Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- ^ "NAACP Legal Department Awards". NAACP. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "Lawyers who battled for civil rights feted". Afro-American. Baltimore. September 27, 1975. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
Further reading
- J. Clay Smith Jr. (1993). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. ISBN 978-0-8122-1685-1.
- JSTOR 1229224.