George Howard Jr. (May 13, 1924 – April 21, 2007) was an

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veteran, attorney, and a

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of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (in case citations, E.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...

and the

United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (in case citations, W.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeale ...

. He was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

United States District Judge in

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. Howard played an important role in the

Whitewater controversy The Whitewater controversy, Whitewater scandal, Whitewatergate, or simply Whitewater, was an American political controversy during the 1990s. It began with an investigation into the real estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their as ...

, presiding over several Whitewater-related cases, including the separate trials of

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and Susan McDougal, and once called on President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

to testify."George Howard Jr., 82; federal judge presided over Whitewater cases."

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, April 25, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2013.

Early life

Howard was born in Pine Bluff,

on May 13, 1924. As a teenager he left home to serve in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

, a time when he was subjected to racism that would inspire him to become a lawyer. Howard served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946, and after completing his military service he finished high school and went on to

Lincoln University School of Law Lincoln University School of Law was a professional graduate school of Lincoln University (a historically Black university), which operated in St. Louis, Missouri from September 20, 1939, until it closed in 1955. Although Lincoln University’s ca ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

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, where he graduated with honors from their

pre-law In the United States, pre-law refers to any course of study taken by an undergraduate in preparation for study at a law school. The American Bar Association requires law schools to admit only students with an accredited Bachelor's Degree or it ...

program."State's First Black Federal Judge, George Howard, Dead at 82."
''www.arkansasbusines.com'', April 23, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2013. He then entered the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

and became the first African-American to live in campus housing at the school. Howard enrolled at the

University of Arkansas School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a State university system, state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) ...

and received his Juris Doctor in 1954.Hon. Mike Rossbr>"In Lasting Memory of Judge George Howard, Jr."
Congressional Record, V. 153, Pt. 7, April 18, 2007 to April 26, 2007.

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. Retrieved June 21, 2013. Howard is named as one of the "Six Pioneers," the first six African-American students to attend to University of Arkansas School of Law.Kilpatrick, Judith
"Desegrating the University of Arkansas School of Law: L. Clifford Davis and the Six Pioneers."

Arkansas Historical Quarterly ''The Arkansas Historical Quarterly'' is the scholarly journal of the Arkansas Historical Association. It publishes articles on the history of Arkansas and is currently edited by Patrick G. Williams ( University of Arkansas at Fayetteville). Hist ...

, Vol LXVIII, No. 2, Summer 2009. ''www.arkansasblacklawyers.uark.edu.'' Retrieved June 18, 2013. Howard then returned to Pine Bluff and established a law practice, which he operated from 1954 to 1977, and in 1979. During this period he ran his only political campaign, an unsuccessful

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

bid, and served as president of the State Council of Branches for the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

. Governor

Winthrop Rockefeller Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fourth son and fifth child of American financer John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He is one of the ...

appointed Howard to the Arkansas State Claims Commission in 1967, and was Chairman of the Commission from 1969 until 1977, when Governor

David Pryor David Hampton Pryor (born August 29, 1934) is an American politician and former Democratic United States Representative and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as the 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 a ...

named him

Arkansas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in the state judiciary of Arkansas. It has ultimate and largely discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all state court cases that involve a point of state law, and original jurisdiction o ...

justice. In 1979, Governor

appointed Howard as a judge of the

Arkansas Court of Appeals The Arkansas Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the state of Arkansas. It was created in 1978 by Amendment 58 of the Arkansas Constitution, which was implemented by Act 208 of the Arkansas General Assembly in 1979. The court ...

Federal judicial service

Howard was nominated by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

on June 2, 1980, to a joint seat on the

and the

vacated by Judge Richard S. Arnold. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 29, 1980, and received his commission on September 30, 1980. His service in the Western District terminated on December 1, 1990, due to his reassignment to serve in the Eastern District only. His service in the Eastern District terminated on April 21, 2007, due to his death in Pine Bluff.

Notable case

Howard played an important judicial role in the

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

trial, which led to the downfall of then- Arkansas Governor

Jim Guy Tucker James Guy Tucker Jr. (born June 13, 1943) is an American politician and attorney from Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 43rd governor of Arkansas, the 15th lieutenant governor, state attorney general, and U.S. repre ...

and the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998."New Scholarship Honors Judge Howard."
''www.ualr.edu'', August 8, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2017. During the Whitewater trials, Howard called for video testimony from Clinton, the man who had appointed him to the court of appeals years earlier.

Legacy

A member of the 1994 class of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame,Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, 1994 Induction Ceremony."
'' www.arblackhalloffame.org.'' Retrieved January 30th, 2013. Howard was known for his fairness and commitment to civil rights. He made the daily drive from his home in Pine Bluff to

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, Arkansas to carry out his judicial duties, despite being slowed in his later years by declining health.

Death and honors

Howard died April 21, 2007, at Jefferson Regional Medical Center, after battling health issues for several years. Three days later, on April 24,

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Mike Ross and Arkansas Senators

Blanche Lincoln Blanche Lambert Lincoln (born Blanche Meyers Lambert; September 30, 1960) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 1999 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to the Senate in ...

and

Mark Pryor Mark Lunsford Pryor (born January 10, 1963) is an American attorney, politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to becoming senator, he was Attorn ...

introduced legislation before the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and the Senate to rename the Pine Bluff federal building and courthouse after Howard."Ross, Arkansas Delegation Seek to Honor U.S. District Court Judge George Howard, Jr. of Pine Bluff."
''www.votesmart.org'', April 27, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2013. Howard was honored on the floor of the House of Representatives on April 26, 2007. The legislation, brought before the House as H.R. 2011, renamed the building on 100 East 8th Avenue in Pine Bluff as the George Howard Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse. Norton, Eleanor Holmes
"George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse."
Congressional Record V. 153, Pt. 12, June 18, 2007 to June 26, 2007.

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, 2010. ''Google Books.'' Retrieved June 21, 2013."George Howard, Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse."

U.S. General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...

. Retrieved June 18, 2013. Howard, whose portrait hangs in the federal courthouses in Pine Bluff and Little Rock,

Arkansas Democrat Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas' counties. By virtue of one of i ...

, July 4, 2008. has a scholarship fund maintained in his honor, The George Howard Junior Scholarship Fund at the William H. Bowen School of Law of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Howard was inducted posthumously into the Lincoln University Hall of Fame on October 10, 2008."2008 Hall of Fame: Honorable George Howard, Jr. ('48)."
''www.lincoln.edu.'' Retrieved March 31, 2017.

References

External links

Arkansas Black Hall of Fame

Lincoln University Alumni Hall of Fame

Judge George Howard, Jr., Memorial Tribute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, George Jr. 1924 births 2007 deaths African-American judges African-American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy personnel of World War II Arkansas lawyers Arkansas state court judges Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas Lincoln University (Missouri) alumni NAACP activists People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter 20th-century American judges University of Arkansas School of Law alumni United States Navy sailors