Judge Charles Clark (1925- )
Charles Clark was born in Memphis, TN. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve in World War II and the Korean War. Between the wars and after the Korean War, Clark practiced law in Jackson, MS. In 1969, President Nixon appointed him a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as part of his "southern strategy" of aligning with opponents of civil rights. Clark became the Chief Judge of this court in 1981 and retired in 1992.
Civil Rights Era
Charles Clark represented the Board of Trustees of the University of Mississippi in the lawsuit over James Meredith's admission to the University of Mississippi. Clark argued that there was no policy of racial discrimination at the university and that James Meredith had been denied admission because he was not qualified.
Bibliography
Information for this biography was gathered from the following sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Clark_(judge)
- Interview with Judge Charles Clark, conducted by Blackside, Inc. on May 8, 1986, for Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years (1954-1965). Washington University Libraries, Film and Media Archive, Henry Hampton Collection.