Born in Courtland, Arizona, William Byron Rumford, Sr., the younger of the two sons of a housemaid, arrived in Los Angeles, California with his mother and stepfather in 1915. His family returned to Arizona where he shined shoes, sold newspapers, and graduated from a segregated … Read MoreWilliam Byron Rumford, Sr. (1908-1986)
Although little remembered today, Leidesdorff was a social, economic and political force in pre-gold rush San Francisco, California with a number of “firsts” credited to his name. When he was named the U.S. Vice Consul to Mexico in 1845, he became the nation’s first African … Read MoreWilliam Alexander Leidesdorff (1810-1848)
Dr. W.H.C. Stephenson, the first black doctor in Nevada, practiced medicine in Virginia City, Nevada, during the heyday of the Comstock Lode. Born in Washington, D.C., he lived in Pennsylvania and California prior to Nevada. He was trained at one of the Eclectic Medical Institutes … Read MoreW.H.C. Stephenson (1825-circa 1873)
Norman Oliver Houston was co-founder of the Golden State Mutual Insurance Co., the largest black-owned insurance company in the west. He was born in San Jose, California on October 16, 1893, and studied business administration at the University of California at Berkeley before being drafted … Read MoreNorman Oliver Houston (1893-1981)
Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, the largest Black-owned insurance company in the west, was founded by William Nickerson, Jr., Norman Oliver Houston, and George Allen Beavers, Jr. On July 23, 1925, they opened as the Golden State Guarantee Fund Insurance Company in a one-room … Read MoreGolden State Mutual Life Insurance Company
Frank Waldron was one of the most influential musicians and teachers in the first half of Seattle’s 20th century jazz scene. Waldron was born in San Francisco, California in 1890. By World War I he had moved to the Pacific Northwest and played music at … Read MoreFrank Waldron (1890-1955)
JOSEPH JAMES, Respondent, v. MARINSHIP CORPORATION (a Corporation) et al., Appellants. COUNSEL: Andersen & Resner, George R. Andersen, Herbert Resner and Thurgood Marshall for Respondent. Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges, Charles J. Janigian and George M. Naus for Appellants. OPINION, GIBSON, C.J. This is an … Read More(1944) James v. Marinship
Opinion by Judge FOOTE This is an application for a writ of mandate to compel the defendant, Crookshank, a teacher of a public school located in the city of Visalia school district, of the county of Tulare, to admit the plaintiff as a scholar. The … Read More(1890) Wysinger v. Crookshank
Decision MARY FRANCES WARD, by A. J. WARD, her Guardian, ad litem, v. NOAH F. FLOOD, Principal of the Broadway Grammar School, in the City and County of San Francisco. SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA January 1874 The Civil Rights Bill, passed April 9th, 1866, (14 … Read More(1874) Ward v. Flood
STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES. Before the Hon. Benjamin Hayes, Judge of the District Court of the First Judicial District State of California, County of Los Angeles. In the matter of Hannah and her children Ann (and Mary, child of Ann), Lawrence, Nathaniel, … Read More(1856) Mason v. Smith (The Bridget “Biddy” Mason Case)
