Existing comment:
Arthur Spingarn
NAACP Lawyer
Favorable publicity generated by the Pink Franklin case attracted new supporters to the NAACP. Among them were Joel E. Spingarn (1875−1939), chairman of the Department of Comparative Literature at Columbia University, and his brother, Arthur (1878–1971), a lawyer, shown here. In January 1911, the NAACP organized its first branch in Harlem with Joel's help. The branch established a vigilance committee, which became the National Legal Committee, to deal "with injustice in the courts as it affects the Negro."
Arthur worked pro bono because the NAACP could not afford to hire attorneys on a regular basis and often convinced other prominent lawyers to volunteer their services. He served as the chairman of the committee until 1939. Members of the committee also included future Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and prominent black lawyer Charles Houston. |