Walter A. Gordon
| Walter A. Gordon | |
|---|---|
| 18th Governor of the United States Virgin Islands | |
|
In office 1955–1958 |
|
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Lieutenant | John David Merwin |
| Preceded by | Charles K. Claunch |
| Succeeded by | John David Merwin |
| District Court of the Virgin Islands | |
|
In office 1958–1968 |
|
| California Adult Authority | |
|
In office 1943–1955 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 10, 1894 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Died | April 2, 1976 (aged 81) Berkeley, California |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Fisher(1920–1976) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (B.A., J.D) |
| Profession | police officer, attorney, politician, judge |
Walter Arthur Gordon (October 10, 1894 – April 2, 1976) was the first African American to receive a doctorate of law from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school. He had an extremely long and varied career where he served as a police officer, lawyer, assistant football coach, member of the California Adult Authority, Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, and a Federal District Judge.
Gordon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, though his family moved to Riverside, California in 1904. He graduated from Riverside Polytechnic High School before enrolling in the University of California, Berkeley. While there, he was a consummate athlete and lettered in football (as a lineman for the California Golden Bears), boxing, and wrestling.
Gordon was the star of Cal’s boxing team, winning the California State Championship. He was the star of Cal’s wrestling team, winning the California State Championship in that sport as well. He was also a star on Andy Smith’s early Cal football teams, playing on both the offensive and defensive lines. In fact, during his Cal football career, at one time or another he played every position on both lines except center. At 6'0" and 200 pounds, he was one of the biggest men on the team, but with tremendous quickness, and an instinct for knowing where to be on the field.
He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was also a founding member of the Alpha Epsilon chapter at University of California, Berkeley.
In 1918 he became one of the first two African-American All-Americans (the first was Paul Robeson). He was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame. He graduated in 1918 and enrolled in Boalt Hall to study law. He married Mary Elizabeth Fisher on July 22, 1920 and received his law degree in 1922.
...
Wikipedia