Perry v. Cyphers
Perry v. Cyphers 186 F.2d 608 (5th Cir. 1951)[1] was a 1951 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that struck down Jim Crow legislation in Harrison County, Texas.[1][2][3][4]
History
In Harrison County, which had been represented by African Americans in the state house, the Citizen's Party of Harrison County came to power as Democrats increasingly regained control after the Reconstruction era ended and restored white supremacy.[5][6]
Specifically, in 1923, the Texas law singled out African-American Texan voters, and barred them "from voting in the Democratic Party primary." In 1878, the first White Citizens Party was formed in Harrison County by Amory Starr (1847-1906)[7][8][9] and other Texas and Pacific Railroad officers. Fred Lewis (1912-2002), a prominent educator, became the manager of Ruth Starr Blake's estate. Mr. Lewis was an NAACP officer and civil rights activist. He administered Ruth Starr Blake's estate after he returned from World War II. Lewis was influential in spearheading the case, Perry v. Cyphers, to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He raised funds and enlisted the cooperation of statewide NAACP leadership. "In 1951, the court decision ended the white primary system and restored the vote to African Americans in Harrison County."[1][3][10]
It was part of a larger effort by the NAACP to protect black voting rights.[2]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c Fisher & Goodheart 1952, p. 229.
- ^ a b Browne-Marshall & Vivian 2016, pp. 94, 189, 206, 221.
- ^ a b Bell, Gail. "Fred Edward Lewis: Educator and Civil Rights Activist". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "Right Negroes in Texas Upheld". The Florence Times Daily. Associated Press. January 24, 1951. p. 5.
- ^ Thompson, Nolan (September 28, 2020). "Meshack Roberts: A Pioneering Black Legislator in Reconstruction Texas". www.tshaonline.org. Texas State Historical Association. TSHA |. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ Guzman 2015, p. 20.
- ^ MacDonald and Mack Partnership (August 1984). "Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, Marshall, Texas. - DTIC" (PDF). Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 38. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Cravens, John N. (February 2, 2021). "Amory Reily Starr: Lawyer, Soldier, and Politician of Texas John N. Cravens". Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ "Amory R. Starr (1847-1906)." The Morning Star Special Edition, May. 1894. Harrison County Historical Association
- ^ "Fred Lewis [Historical marker]". Historical Marker Database. May 4, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
Bibliography
- Browne-Marshall, Gloria J.; Vivian, Rev. Dr. C.T. (August 22, 2016). The Voting Rights War: The NAACP and the Ongoing Struggle for Justice (Hardback). Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 94, 189, 206, 221. ISBN 9781442266902.
- Fisher, Louis; Goodheart, A.L. (1952). "The Negro and the Law". American Constitutional Law. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 229.
- Guzman, Will (January 30, 2015). Civil Rights in the Texas Borderlands: Dr. Lawrence A. Nixon and Black Activism. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252096884 – via Google Books.