Draft:Frank D. Reeves
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Comment: Almost certainly WP:N, however, needs more references to demonstrate Chetsford (talk) 12:28, 24 November 2024 (UTC)
Frank D. Reeves | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 March 1916  |
| Died | 8 April 1973 (aged 57) |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Walker Stone |
Frank Daniel Reeves (March 23, 1916 - April 8, 1973) was an African American lawyer, civil rights activist, and politician who was the first African American member of the Democratic National Committee and the first African American to serve as a Presidential administrative assistant. He studied at Shaw Junior High School and Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., and earned undergraduate and law degrees (1939) from Howard University, where he later held a full professorship and taught full-time or part-time for most of his life.[1]
Reeves worked at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People with Thurgood Marshall on the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended racial segregation in the United States (1954 and 1955), and later was a litigant on Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County (1964). He also participated in Burns v. Wilson (1953) and acted as counsel to Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in Powell v. McCormack before the US Supreme Court (1968-69).[1]
Reeves served then-Candidate John F. Kennedy as a minority affairs adviser during his 1960 campaign, and ran for and was elected as the first African American member of the Democratic National Committee in 1960, where he seconded Kennedy's nomination as the Democratic Party's Presidential Candidate. Historian Brett Gadsden considers Frank D. Reeves -- along with Kennedy's other black campaign advisors, Louis E. Martin and Marjorie Lawson -- to be essential in convincing prominent black figures to endorse and vote for him in the 1960 United States presidential election, leading to his victory in Maryland, Illinois and Michigan and leading to his overall victory.[2]
After Kennedy became President of the United States in January 1961, Reeves became the first African American to serve as a Presidential administrative assistant. Kennedy nominated him to the governing commission of the District of Columbia, but withdrew the nomination in June 1961 following a Senate inquiry into tax payments.[3]
Reeves and his family lived at 3934 New Hampshire Avenue NW in Washington D.C. for many years until 1961, when they moved to 7760 16th Street NW.[4] Cultural Tourism DC has placed a historic marker in front of this home on the African American Heritage Trail.
He served on Howard University's Board of Trustees from 1961 to 1966, and was a founding member of the National Conference of Black Lawyers in 1969.[1] In 1970, he became the first executive director of the Joint Center for Political Studies.[4]
He died six weeks after suffering a stroke on Sunday, April 8, 1973 in Freedmen's Hospital (now Howard University Hospital) in Washington DC.[3]
US Supreme Court cases
[edit]- Burns v. Wilson (346 U.S. 137, argued Feb. 5, 1953)
- Brown Et Al v. Board Of Education Of Topeka Et Al (347 U.S. 483, argued December 9, 1952, reargued December 8, 1953, decided May 17, 1954)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Williams (359 U.S. 550, argued June 1, 1959)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama ex rel. Patterson (360 U.S. 240, argued June 8, 1959, decided Oct 12, 1959)
- Henry v. Collins (380 U.S. 356)
External links
[edit]- https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jfkwhsfhw-008-011
- https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/brown-v-board/bios.html
- https://www.reevescmcventure.com/news/washingtonians-first-r9ykl
- https://www.jfklibrary.org/sites/default/files/archives/JFKOH/Reeves,%20Frank%20D/JFKOH-FRR-01/JFKOH-FRR-01-TR.pdf
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=24679
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Smith, J. Clay Jr. (1973). "In Memorium: Professor Frank D. Reeves -- Towards a Houstonian School of Jurisprudence and the Study of Pure Legal Existence". Howard Law Journal. 18: 1–11. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Wang, Cassidy (February 28, 2019). "Northwestern history professor emphasizes influence of black people in electing John F. Kennedy". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ a b United Press International (1973-04-10). "Frank D. Reeves, 57, Kennedy Aide, Dead". The New York Times. New York, New York. United Press International. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ a b DC Historic Preservation Office. "Civil Rights Tour: Legal Campaigns - Frank D. Reeves, Leveraging the Law - 7760 16th Street NW". DC Historic Sites. Retrieved October 31, 2025.