Bill Text: GA HR87 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Morgan, Mr. Charles, Jr.; condolences
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2009-01-15 - House Read and Adopted [HR87 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HR87-Introduced.html
09 LC 94
0112
House
Resolution 87
By:
Representatives Brooks of the
63rd
and Benfield of the
85th
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
the life and memory of Mr. Charles Morgan, Jr.; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia mourns the passing of one of its finest citizens and
nation's leading civil rights lawyers, Mr. Charles Morgan, Jr., on January 8,
2009; and
WHEREAS,
born on March 11, 1930, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Morgan earned his law degree
from the University of Alabama; and
WHEREAS,
this fearless defender of equal rights was most famous for his win in the
landmark 1960's lawsuit that helped establish the one-person-one-vote rule,
giving blacks more equitable representation in legislative districts;
and
WHEREAS,
a fervent believer in obtaining civil rights through the court system, Mr.
Morgan took on many legal battles to obtain justice, including suing his alma
mater to desegregate; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Morgan had other notable civil rights cases such as his successful
challenges of the practice of racially segregated juries and prisons and of the
results for a Greene County, Alabama, election, which forced a new election and
led to the election of six black candidates for local office; and
WHEREAS,
a bold and colorful man, Mr. Morgan gained attention in 1963, when he gave a
speech blaming the pillars of the Birmingham community for a local Ku Klux Klan
bombing that killed four black girls at Sunday school because these leaders
refused to take responsibility for the pervasive racial hatred in the city;
and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Morgan's fiery accusations led to death threats against him and his family,
and in 1964 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to become the Southern director of the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU);
and
WHEREAS, during his tenure with the ACLU, Mr. Morgan fought many high profile cases involving protests against the Vietnam War, including representing Muhammad Ali in his fight to avoid being drafted, an officer court-martialed for his refusal to instruct Green Berets headed to Vietnam, and the civil rights activist Julian Bond when he was denied a seat in the Georgia legislature because of his antiwar views; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure with the ACLU, Mr. Morgan fought many high profile cases involving protests against the Vietnam War, including representing Muhammad Ali in his fight to avoid being drafted, an officer court-martialed for his refusal to instruct Green Berets headed to Vietnam, and the civil rights activist Julian Bond when he was denied a seat in the Georgia legislature because of his antiwar views; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Morgan severed his affiliation with the ACLU in 1976 after he was
reprimanded by the organization when an article in
The New York Times
reported on an encounter involving Mr.
Morgan in which he accused a man of bigotry after the man stated he would not
vote for Jimmy Carter due to his Southern accent; and
WHEREAS,
this self-proclaimed proud son of the South spent the remainder of his legal
career in private practice, representing large corporations against what he
portrayed as government efforts to abridge their rights; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Morgan's surviving family includes his wife Camille, his son Charles Morgan
III, and four grandchildren; and
WHEREAS,
this talented legal mind and champion of civil rights will long be remembered by
his many clients, friends, and neighbors whose lives he influenced.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body
hereby joins in honoring the life and memory of Mr. Charles Morgan, Jr., and
commending his many great achievements.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
Mr. Charles Morgan, Jr.
