Cecil F. Poole
Encyclopedia
Cecil F. Poole was a prominent African American lawyer and federal judge
. Poole was born in Birmingham, Alabama
and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
As a young man, Poole was interested in music. For a short time during high school he was a member of a singing group formed by the jazz artist Billy Eckstine. Poole graduated from high school in Washington, D.C. and then earned an A.B. and LL.B. from the University of Michigan
in 1935 and 1938. He also received an LL.M from Harvard Law School
in 1939.
After Pearl Harbor Poole was drafted into the Army. During the war he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Upon receiving his commission Poole was assigned to Tuskegee Air Force Base, where he served as a military lawyer with the 332nd Fighter Group. Poole was never sent overseas before World War II ended.
After his discharge from the military, Poole embarked on a civilian legal career that spanned more than fifty years and included service as a federal labor relations lawyer and as a prosecutor in San Francisco. Indeed, Poole 's career included several historic appointments to legal positions in the federal government. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy
appointed Poole the United States Attorney
for the Northern District of California, making him the first African American U.S. Attorney in the continental United States. (Until his appointment, all other African American U.S. Attorneys had served in the U.S. Virgin Islands.) In the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson
twice nominated Poole to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, but those appointments were held up in the U.S. Senate. In 1976, however, President Gerald R. Ford successfully appointed Poole to that court, making him the first African American federal judge in Northern California. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter
appointed Poole to be a judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where he served until his death. Judge Poole was also the first African American judge on the Ninth Circuit.
Judge Poole was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity, having been initiated into the fraternity via the Epsilon chapter at the University of Michigan
. He was also one of the founding members of the fraternity's Gamma Chi Lambda graduate chapter in San Francisco, California
.
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
. Poole was born in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
As a young man, Poole was interested in music. For a short time during high school he was a member of a singing group formed by the jazz artist Billy Eckstine. Poole graduated from high school in Washington, D.C. and then earned an A.B. and LL.B. from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1935 and 1938. He also received an LL.M from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1939.
After Pearl Harbor Poole was drafted into the Army. During the war he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Upon receiving his commission Poole was assigned to Tuskegee Air Force Base, where he served as a military lawyer with the 332nd Fighter Group. Poole was never sent overseas before World War II ended.
After his discharge from the military, Poole embarked on a civilian legal career that spanned more than fifty years and included service as a federal labor relations lawyer and as a prosecutor in San Francisco. Indeed, Poole 's career included several historic appointments to legal positions in the federal government. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
appointed Poole the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Northern District of California, making him the first African American U.S. Attorney in the continental United States. (Until his appointment, all other African American U.S. Attorneys had served in the U.S. Virgin Islands.) In the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
twice nominated Poole to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, but those appointments were held up in the U.S. Senate. In 1976, however, President Gerald R. Ford successfully appointed Poole to that court, making him the first African American federal judge in Northern California. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
appointed Poole to be a judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where he served until his death. Judge Poole was also the first African American judge on the Ninth Circuit.
Judge Poole was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity, having been initiated into the fraternity via the Epsilon chapter at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He was also one of the founding members of the fraternity's Gamma Chi Lambda graduate chapter in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
External links
- http://air.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=1909 Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, Federal Judicial Center.
- http://www.cecilpoole.com/ The Judge Cecil Poole Biography Project, Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society.
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E4DD1338F935A25752C1A961958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink "Cecil F. Poole, 83, a Legal Leader for Blacks," New York Times (November 16, 1997).