John Michael Doar (December 3, 1921 – November 11, 2014) was an American
lawyer and senior counsel with the
law firm Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack in
New York City. During the administrations of presidents
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
and
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, he served first as
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights from 1961 to 1965, and then as head of the division from 1965 until 1967. He led the government's response to events such as the admission and protection of
James Meredith, the first black student admitted to the
University of Mississippi, as well as the evolving response to the civil rights movement promoting integration and voter registration in the South. Additionally, in 1973–74, he served as the lead special counsel for the
U.S. House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry staff during the
impeachment process against Richard Nixon.
Early life
Doar was born in
New Richmond, Wisconsin
New Richmond is a city in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 10,079 as of the 2020 census.
History
New Richmond was founded in 1857. The first permanent settlement was established by Hiram Foster, who had led a group ...
, the son of Mae and William Doar.
In 1940, Doar graduated from
St. Paul Academy and Summit School in
Saint Paul, Minnesota. He served in the
United States Army Air Forces during
World War II and was a pilot. He graduated with an A.B. from the School of Public and International Affairs (now
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...
) at
Princeton University in 1944 after completing a senior thesis titled "An Analysis of Farmer Cooperatives, 1918–1946." He then received an LL.B. from the
University of California-Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law
The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (commonly known as Berkeley Law or UC Berkeley School of Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley, a public research university in Berkeley, California. It is one of 1 ...
. From 1950 to 1960, Doar then worked in his family's law firm in
New Richmond, Wisconsin
New Richmond is a city in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 10,079 as of the 2020 census.
History
New Richmond was founded in 1857. The first permanent settlement was established by Hiram Foster, who had led a group ...
.
Civil rights career
A Republican,
Doar served as Deputy Assistant and then
Assistant Attorney General
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general.
The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and ...
for
Civil Rights in the
U.S. Dept. of Justice, from 1960 to 1967,
during which time he was involved in several of the most significant events of the
American civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
. In 1961 he operated in
Montgomery, Alabama, along with his assistant,
John Seigenthaler, to protect the
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions '' Morgan v. Virginia ...
.
In 1962, he confronted
Ross Barnett over Barnett's attempts to prevent
James Meredith from entering the
segregated University of Mississippi. He also prosecuted
Collie Leroy Wilkins for federal civil rights violations in the
murder of
Viola Liuzzo, gaining conviction by an
all-white jury
Racial discrimination in jury selection is specifically prohibited by law in many jurisdictions throughout the world. In the United States, it has been defined through a series of judicial decisions. However, juries composed solely of one racial ...
in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
. In 1963, he calmed an
angry mob
Mob rule or ochlocracy ( el, ὀχλοκρατία, translit=okhlokratía; la, ochlocratia) is the rule of government by a mob or mass of people and the intimidation of legitimate authorities. Insofar as it represents a pejorative for majori ...
after the
assassination
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
of civil rights leader
Medgar Evers, murdered outside his home.
Doar prosecuted the federal case for civil rights violations against
the people who were accused of murdering Andrew Goodman,
James Chaney
James Earl Chaney (May 30, 1943 – June 21, 1964) was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) civil rights workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux Klan on June 21, 1964. The others were Andrew Goodman an ...
and
Michael Schwerner
Michael Henry Schwerner (November 6, 1939 – June 21, 1964), was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) field workers killed in rural Neshoba County, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Schwerner and two co-workers, James Chan ...
,
young civil rights workers in Mississippi. He had earlier contributed to drafting the
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requi ...
, which
Lyndon Johnson signed to try to secure constitutional rights for all citizens. In March 1965, Doar was the first to arrive in
Montgomery, Alabama, during the third of the
Selma to Montgomery marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the ...
. He walked into Montgomery half a block ahead of the march in his capacity as Assistant Attorney General.
[ reprinted in ]
Doar left the government in 1967. He went into private practice and worked for
Bedford Stuyvesant Development Corporation. From late 1968 to 1969 he was president of the
New York City Board of Education. During his tenure he supported gender discrimination, opposing the entry of girls to all-boy high schools.
Nixon impeachment inquiry
Doar was hired in December 1973 to be the lead special counsel for the
House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry staff during the
impeachment process against Richard Nixon. He supervised a team which in due course grew to 100 persons, including lawyers, investigators, clerks and stenographers. To minimize leaks he established strict rules of conduct that included this directive: "The staff of the impeachment inquiry shall not discuss with anyone outside the staff either the substance or procedure of their work or that of the committee."
Later life and death
He then started a law firm in New York City: Doar, Rieck, Kaley, & Mack.
Doar died in
New York City from congestive heart failure, aged 92.
He was survived by his children: Gael, Michael,
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(a former Commissioner of the
New York City Human Resources Administration
The Human Resources Administration or Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) is the department of the government of New York City in charge of the majority of the city's social services programs. HRA helps New Yorkers in need through a variety o ...
) and Burke.
Gallery
Representation in film and television
*The 1988 film ''
Mississippi Burning'' drew from the murders of the three civil rights workers.
*Episode from the
Discovery Channel series, "US Marshals: Mission in Mississippi" (1997). Interview with Doar about his role in
Justice Department effort to enroll James Meredith at University of Mississippi in 1962. Doar and Chief US Marshal James McShane were given the job of enrolling Meredith by Attorney General Robert Kennedy.
*In the 2014 film ''
Selma'', he is portrayed by
Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Antine Nivola (born June 28, 1972) is an American actor. He has been nominated for a Tony Award and an Independent Spirit Award and has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Independent Film Award (BIFA), and the Best Actor Award ...
.
Legacy and honors
*Doar was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Biography of John Doar– Doar Rieck Kaley & Mack
*
Q&A with John Doar–
C-SPAN interview, January 12, 2009
John Doar papersfro
Princeton University Library. Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doar, John
1921 births
2014 deaths
American men's basketball players
Civil rights movement
Kennedy administration personnel
Lawyers from Minneapolis
Lawyers from New York City
New York (state) lawyers
People from New Richmond, Wisconsin
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Princeton Tigers men's basketball players
Selma to Montgomery marches
UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
United States Assistant Attorneys General for the Civil Rights Division
Watergate scandal investigators
Wisconsin lawyers
Recipients of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service