William F. Yardley
Encyclopedia
William Francis Yardley (January 8, 1844 – May 20, 1924) was an American
attorney, politician and civil rights
advocate, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee
, in the late 19th century. He was Tennessee
's first African American
gubernatorial candidate, and is believed to have been the first African American attorney
to argue a case before the Tennessee Supreme Court
. He published a newspaper, the Examiner, that promoted African American rights, and was an advocate for labor and the poor both as an attorney and as a politician.
Yardley was born in 1844 to an Irish
mother and a black
father, making him free
by birth. His mother left him on the doorstep of the Yardley family, a white
family who gave him his name and raised him. During the 1850s, he attended a school for colored children taught by St. John's Episcopal Church rector Thomas William Humes
. Following the Civil War
, Yardley taught at the colored school in Ebenezer, in what is now West Knoxville
.
While at Ebenezer, Yardley read law
and studied under Knox County
judge George Andrews, and passed the bar in 1872. That same year, he was elected to Knoxville's Board of Aldermen, serving one term. As an attorney, Yardley primarily handled criminal cases for black clients, although he also represented the Continental Insurance Company. From 1876 until 1882, he served as justice of the peace
for Knox County. In 1878, Yardley began publishing Knoxville's first black newspaper, the Knoxville Examiner. He established a second newspaper, the Bulletin, in 1882.
In Tennessee's gubernatorial election of 1876, Yardley ran as an independent after the state's Republicans decided not to oppose Democrat James D. Porter
. Campaigning across the state, Yardley spoke against segregation
, called for an overhaul of labor laws, and denounced a state law allowing first class train fares for second class passengers, which hurt the poor. He was complimented for his oratorical abilities by numerous newspapers, but attacked by others, such as the Knoxville Tribune, which called him an "egotistical darky who practices law when he is sober enough and not engaged in doing the dirty work for the Republican machine." Out of five candidates in the election, Yardley placed fourth, with less than one percent of the vote.
In 1885, he is believed to have become the first African American attorney to appear before the Tennessee Supreme Court when he argued against a practice that required jail inmates to work to pay for the costs of their prosecution. He lost the case, but the practice was abolished in later years.
In October 1919, Yardley served on the defense team in the high profile trial of local mulatto
Maurice Mayes, who had been accused of murdering a white woman. The murder had sparked the Knoxville Riot of 1919
, one of the city's worst racial incidents, in August of that year. Mayes was eventually found guilty and executed
, though there was virtually no evidence linking him to the crime.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney, politician and civil rights
Civil 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...
advocate, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, in the late 19th century. He was Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
'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...
gubernatorial candidate, and is believed to have been the first African American attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
to argue a case before the Tennessee Supreme Court
Tennessee Supreme Court
The Tennessee Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the state of Tennessee. Cornelia Clark is the current Chief Justice.Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state legislature, the Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the...
. He published a newspaper, the Examiner, that promoted African American rights, and was an advocate for labor and the poor both as an attorney and as a politician.
Biography
Yardley was born in 1844 to an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother and a black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
father, making him free
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
by birth. His mother left him on the doorstep of the Yardley family, a white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
family who gave him his name and raised him. During the 1850s, he attended a school for colored children taught by St. John's Episcopal Church rector Thomas William Humes
Thomas William Humes
Thomas William Humes was an American clergyman and educator, active in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the latter half of the 19th century. Elected rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in 1846, Humes led the church until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he was forced to resign due to his Union...
. Following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Yardley taught at the colored school in Ebenezer, in what is now West Knoxville
West Knoxville
West Knoxville is the section of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that lies west of the city's downtown area. It generally stretches from Sequoyah Hills on the east to the city's border with Farragut on the west...
.
While at Ebenezer, Yardley read law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
and studied under Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
judge George Andrews, and passed the bar in 1872. That same year, he was elected to Knoxville's Board of Aldermen, serving one term. As an attorney, Yardley primarily handled criminal cases for black clients, although he also represented the Continental Insurance Company. From 1876 until 1882, he served as justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Knox County. In 1878, Yardley began publishing Knoxville's first black newspaper, the Knoxville Examiner. He established a second newspaper, the Bulletin, in 1882.
In Tennessee's gubernatorial election of 1876, Yardley ran as an independent after the state's Republicans decided not to oppose Democrat James D. Porter
James D. Porter, Jr.
James Davis Porter was governor of the U.S. state of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879.-Biography:A native of Paris, Tennessee, Porter graduated from the former University of Nashville at age 18. He was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1859. When the American Civil War loomed, Porter sided...
. Campaigning across the state, Yardley spoke against 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...
, called for an overhaul of labor laws, and denounced a state law allowing first class train fares for second class passengers, which hurt the poor. He was complimented for his oratorical abilities by numerous newspapers, but attacked by others, such as the Knoxville Tribune, which called him an "egotistical darky who practices law when he is sober enough and not engaged in doing the dirty work for the Republican machine." Out of five candidates in the election, Yardley placed fourth, with less than one percent of the vote.
In 1885, he is believed to have become the first African American attorney to appear before the Tennessee Supreme Court when he argued against a practice that required jail inmates to work to pay for the costs of their prosecution. He lost the case, but the practice was abolished in later years.
In October 1919, Yardley served on the defense team in the high profile trial of local mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
Maurice Mayes, who had been accused of murdering a white woman. The murder had sparked the Knoxville Riot of 1919
Knoxville Riot of 1919
The Knoxville Riot of 1919 was a race riot that took place in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, on August 30–31, 1919. The riot began when a lynch mob stormed the county jail in search of Maurice Mayes, a mulatto man who had been accused of murdering a white woman...
, one of the city's worst racial incidents, in August of that year. Mayes was eventually found guilty and executed
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, though there was virtually no evidence linking him to the crime.
See also
- Charles W. CanslerCharles W. CanslerCharles Warner Cansler was an American educator, civil rights advocate, and author, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA...
- Cal JohnsonCal Johnson (businessman)Caldonia Fackler Johnson was an American businessman and philanthropist, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
- Edward Terry SanfordEdward Terry SanfordEdward Terry Sanford was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court from 1923 until his death in 1930. Prior to his nomination to the high court, Sanford served as an Assistant Attorney General under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1907, and...
- Oliver Perry TempleOliver Perry TempleOliver Perry Temple was an American attorney, author, judge, and economic promoter active primarily in East Tennessee in the latter half of the 19th century. During the months leading up to the Civil War, Temple played a pivotal role in organizing East Tennessee's Unionists...
External links
- City of Knoxville, et al., v. W. F. Yardley – case argued in 1918