A. P. Tureaud
Encyclopedia
Alexander Pierre Tureaud (February 26, 1899 – January 22, 1972) was the attorney for the New Orleans
chapter of the NAACP
during the civil rights movement
. With the assistance of Thurgood Marshall
and Robert Carter from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
, A.P. Tureaud, as he was known, filed the lawsuit that successfully ended the system of Jim Crow segregation
in New Orleans. That case paved the way for integrating the first two elementary schools in the Deep South
.
began. The Plessy v. Ferguson
case, 163 U.S. 537, of 1896, began in the New Orleans court system. This was the United States Supreme Court
decision that made segregation
legal throughout the United States.
New Orleans attorney A.P. Tureaud initiated a suit on behalf of Earl Benjamin Bush calling for an end to the segregated school system in Orleans Parish. In 1954, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Plessy decision and ruled that segregated schools are unconstitutional. The high court ordered that public schools be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.” In 1956, the US Court of Appeals set aside multiple attempts by the Louisiana
Legislature to thwart integration efforts.
In July 1959, Federal Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the Orleans Parish School Board to integrate its schools. After a series of aptitude tests, Gail Etienne, Leona Tate, Ruby Bridges, and Tessie Prevost were selected to fulfill the court’s mandate. On November 14, 1960, three of the four children became students at McDonough #19 School at 5909 St. Claude Avenue and Ruby Bridges began classes at William Frantz School at 3811 North Galvez Street.
Tureaud retired in 1971. He died in New Orleans at the age of 73. His papers are archived at the Amistad Research Center, at Tilton Hall on the campus of Tulane University
.
London Ave., a thoroughfare in New Orleans, was renamed A.P. Tureaud Avenue in his honor. Marie C. Couvent School at 2021 Pauger Street was renamed after him in 1999.
Tureaud Hall on the campus of LSU was named for A.P. Tureaud, Sr. His son, A.P. Tureaud, Jr., was LSU's first African American
undergraduate student.
Tureaud was a Republican
until 1944, when he changed his registration to Democrat
.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
chapter of the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
during the civil rights movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
. With the assistance of Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
and Robert Carter from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City....
, A.P. Tureaud, as he was known, filed the lawsuit that successfully ended the system of Jim Crow segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
in New Orleans. That case paved the way for integrating the first two elementary schools in the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
.
Legacy
New Orleans was one of the most segregated cities in the nation when the movement for civil rightsCivil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
began. The Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision in the jurisprudence of the United States, upholding the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in private businesses , under the doctrine of "separate but equal".The decision was handed...
case, 163 U.S. 537, of 1896, began in the New Orleans court system. This was the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
decision that made segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
legal throughout the United States.
New Orleans attorney A.P. Tureaud initiated a suit on behalf of Earl Benjamin Bush calling for an end to the segregated school system in Orleans Parish. In 1954, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Plessy decision and ruled that segregated schools are unconstitutional. The high court ordered that public schools be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.” In 1956, the US Court of Appeals set aside multiple attempts by the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
Legislature to thwart integration efforts.
In July 1959, Federal Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the Orleans Parish School Board to integrate its schools. After a series of aptitude tests, Gail Etienne, Leona Tate, Ruby Bridges, and Tessie Prevost were selected to fulfill the court’s mandate. On November 14, 1960, three of the four children became students at McDonough #19 School at 5909 St. Claude Avenue and Ruby Bridges began classes at William Frantz School at 3811 North Galvez Street.
Tureaud retired in 1971. He died in New Orleans at the age of 73. His papers are archived at the Amistad Research Center, at Tilton Hall on the campus of Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
.
London Ave., a thoroughfare in New Orleans, was renamed A.P. Tureaud Avenue in his honor. Marie C. Couvent School at 2021 Pauger Street was renamed after him in 1999.
Tureaud Hall on the campus of LSU was named for A.P. Tureaud, Sr. His son, A.P. Tureaud, Jr., was LSU's first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
undergraduate student.
Tureaud was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
until 1944, when he changed his registration to Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.