Paul B. Zuber (December 20, 1926 – March 6, 1987) was a

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

attorney who fought against inferior schools for African Americans in New York City's Harlem neighborhood in 1958 and against segregated schools in New York State, New Jersey, and Chicago during the 1960s. He was the first African American tenured professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He briefly ran for the Republican nomination in the U.S. presidential campaign of 1964. He was married to illustrator

Barbara Zuber Barbara Zuber (1926 – 2019) was an American painter and illustrator. She was the first African American woman to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Yale University. Her work focused on the daily life of African Americans. She contributed ...

. Zuber was from Pennsylvania and went to high school in Brooklyn. He graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

. He served in World War II and the Korean War. He was active in 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. ...

(NAACP) and served as Housing Chairman of its New York State Conference but resigned in a dispute after alleging he was prevented from publicly criticizing policies at the organization. In 1958 he was a Republican candidate for a New York State Senate seat. In 1964 he sued to nullify

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

's nomination as nominee of the Republican Party in the presidential election. Anthony Hart Harrigan accused him of being a hardcore leftist and communist. In 1971 when he was the director of the Center for Urban and Environmental Studies“Episcopal Diocese Plans Paper Recycling Project,” 23 November 1971, Faculty/Alumni collection, AC 43, File: Paul Zuber, Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Retrieved 20 February 2020. and associate professor of urban development at RPI,Wicker, Bob, “Cohoes, Burgh Join RPI Professors Recycling Plan,” 8 July 1971, Faculty/Alumni collection, AC 43, File: Paul Zuber, Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Retrieved 10 February 2020. he worked to begin recycling programs in eastern New York counties. He worked alongside RPI associate professor of environmental engineering Dr. Hassen El Bardoudi in Cohoes and

Lansingburgh Lansingburgh was a village in the north end of Troy. It was first laid out in lots and incorporated in 1771 by Abraham Jacob Lansing, who had purchased the land in 1763. In 1900, Lansingburgh became part of the City of Troy. Demographics Lansi ...

. Zuber also collaborated with the Columbia County workshop for retarded children to service Columbia and Greene Counties,“Two-County Recycling Program Proposed,” 26 November 1971, Faculty/Alumni collection, AC 43, File: Paul Zuber, Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Retrieved 20 February 2020. as well as with the

Episcopal Diocese of Albany The Episcopal Diocese of Albany is a diocese of the Episcopal Church covering 19 counties in northeastern New York state. It was created in 1868 from a division of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. History The Church of England arrived in ...

to get their churches to collect paper. He sought to oppose the

ivory tower An ivory tower is a metaphorical place—or an atmosphere—where people are happily cut off from the rest of the world in favor of their own pursuits, usually mental and esoteric ones. From the 19th century, it has been used to designate an e ...

view of higher education and show that RPI was available for finding solutions to community issues. He had a son, Paul W., and a daughter Patricia Zuber-Wilson. Zuber died of a heart attack in 1987 at his home in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. He is buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuber, Paul B. 1926 births 1987 deaths American civil rights lawyers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty Brown University alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni Candidates in the 1964 United States presidential election NAACP activists People from Troy, New York 20th-century African-American lawyers New York (state) Republicans African Americans in World War II American military personnel of the Korean War 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century American politicians