Oliver L. Johnson Legal Education Fund
In
July 2002, the HSBLA established the Oliver L. Johnson Legal
Education Fund with the POISE Foundation to provide financial
assistance to African American Students studying at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Law and Duquesne University School
of Law. The scholarship fund was so named to honor Oliver
L. Johnson's outstanding legal contributions in Allegheny
County.
Oliver L. Johnson was born in White Oak, Va., on March 11, 1891. He moved to Braddock, Pa. as a young boy. He was one of the first three blacks to graduate from Braddock High School in 1912. While in college at Howard University, he worked as a barber on Capitol Hill. Determined to be a lawyer, he applied to, and was admitted at, Harvard Law School in 1917.
When WWI broke out, Johnson enlisted and served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Upon his return to the United States, he did not have sufficient funds to return to Harvard Law School. He enrolled in the law school at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated in 1922. For 49 years, he practiced law in Allegheny County, accepting all matters that clients brought to him. In 1947, he became the first black prosecuting attorney in the Allegheny County District Attorney's office. His name was mentioned as a qualified candidate for appointment to the Court of Common Pleas, but he was never appointed, though his peers found him to be exceptionally well qualified.
Unfortunately, Johnson did not live to see his son, Livingstone Morris Johnson, be appointed to the bench by Governor Shapp in December 1973. Nor was he living to join his wife, Irene Morris Johnson, at the installation of his son, Justin Morris Johnson, to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in 1980.
Oliver Johnson’s legacy is reflected, in part, that he had two sons and many other family members who chose to follow in his footsteps and engaged in the practice of law.
It is more than fitting that the Oliver L. Johnson Legal Scholarship to further education is presented during Black History Month. While we have all heard the saying" A mind is a terrible thing to waste", it is incumbent upon us as members of the legal community to never forget that it was a legal process, culminating in the Supreme Court's landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education, that ensured that all minds are given equal opportunity to develop, to learn and contribute meaningfully to our society.
To participate in the 2008 Oliver L. Johnson Legal Scholarship competition, click here.
Applications are due no later than February 19, 2008.
