Roger Demosthenes O'Kelly (October 25, 1880 – July 11, 1962) was a deaf, mute, partially-blind African-American lawyer. " 'Kellyclaimed the distinction of being the only Negro deaf lawyer in the United States and the second deaf person to graduate from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in her history of over 250 years."

Biography

Roger O'Kelly was born on October 25, 1880, in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

. O'Kelly became deaf due to Scarlet fever when he was 9 years old, and was "practically

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

" as an adult, being able to "speak only to utter brief exclamations." He attended the North Carolina School for Colored Deaf and Blind. He first applied for admission at Gallaudet University in 1898 but his admission was denied based on the color of his skin. He communicated with the hearing world through writing notes on pads, and eventually earned a degree from Shaw University. In 1908, he was licensed by the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 1912, he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Yale University. He eventually returned to Raleigh, North Carolina, and established a "lucrative" practice among the local African American community performing legal services relating to domestic relations, real estate, corporations, and abstracts of title. He succeeded as a lawyer while being deaf and living in a segregated state. Mr. O'Kelley was also blind in one eye from a football injury. O'Kelley remarked that he had "one good eye left and would make it anyhow." After he graduated at Yale University, he opened his own legal service firm called O'Kelly's Legal Bureau in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a legal specialist to provide his legal services for local business people in

Raleigh, NC Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southea ...

and Granite Quarry, NC. He married Goldie Weaver on February 25, 1920. They had no children. He died at age 82 on July 11, 1962, in Georgetown, South Carolina. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery. Roger Demothenes O'Kelly (1880-1962) - Find a Grave Memorial
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References

Sources

* * * *Roger D. O'Kelly's registration card on September 12, 1918 - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-25100-36572-98?cc=1968530 * {{DEFAULTSORT:OKelly, Roger Demosthenes 1880 births 1962 deaths Deaf lawyers African-American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers Shaw University alumni Yale University alumni American deaf people Mute people