Earl Clifford Broady (1904–1992) was a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

and pianist in

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. He joined the police department in 1927, later becoming Deputy D.A., and then a

. Broady lead a jazz ensemble known as Broady's Hot Footers. Broady was hired as Chief Deputy District Attorney by District Attorney Evelle Younger. He was the first African American in upper management in the office. He was a highly respected judge who was regularly assigned high profile and complicated cases.

Personal life

Broady once said, "I not only was born across the tracks. I was born on the wrong side of that place across the tracks.” He began working as a janitor at age 13, and in his early years worked as a mail carrier, and was an accomplished pianist and a band leader. Later in life he was known for his philanthropy.

Career

Broady joined the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

in 1927. He became one of the first African American police officers to be elevated to the rank of Lieutenant and Watch Commander at the Los Angeles Police Force. He attended night classes at University of Southern California USC and the Los Angeles College of Law, and in 1944 left the LAPD to practice law. He was later elected president of the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Los Angeles, and became Chief Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County.He was appointed to be a judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court on June 7, 1965, where he served until his retirement in 1978. Judge Broady also served on the McCone Commission, which studied the causes behind the Watts riots. He gave $1 million to Howard University in honor of Los Angeles lawyer Curtis C. Taylor in whose office Broady started his legal career.http://dh.howard.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=jcs_speeches

References

1904 births 1992 deaths California state court judges African-American judges African-American police officers American police officers 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges 20th-century African-American people {{US-state-judge-stub