Joseph Cornelius Waddy
| Joseph Cornelius Waddy | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
|
In office 1967–1978 |
|
| Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Richmond Bowling Keech |
| Succeeded by | John Garrett Penn |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 26, 1911 Louisa County, Virginia, United States |
| Died | August 1, 1978 (aged 67) Washington Hospital Center, Washington D.C., United States |
| Cause of death | Emphysema and heart disorder |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth H. Hardy |
| Children | Joseph C. Waddy, Jr. |
Joseph Cornelius Waddy (May 26, 1911 – August 1, 1978) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Louisa County, Virginia, Waddy moved to Alexandria, Virginia when he was seven years old, in 1928. Ten years later, he won an oratorical contest on the American Negro's constitutional rights, sponsored by the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World. After his family moved across the Potomac River to Washington, D.C., he graduated from Dunbar High School. In 1935 Waddy graduated with honors, receiving a A.B. degree from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania. After an additional three years of study, he received a LL.B. from Howard University School of Law, graduating at the top of his class. He married Elizabeth H. Hardy, who bore a son, Joseph C. Waddy, Jr.
After passing the District of Columbia bar exam and admission to that bar, Waddy began private practice with the law firm of Charles Hamilton Houston, known for his tireless civil rights practice. Waddy remained in private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1939 to 1962, except for 1944-46, when he served in the United States Army, rising to the rank of staff sergeant.
After returning from World War II, Waddy was a partner in the law firm of Houston, Waddy, Bryant and Gardner. Among the most important civil rights cases he helped litigate were Steele v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co., 323 U.S. 192 (1944) and Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41 (1957).
...
Wikipedia