Columbus civil liberties protestor and lawyer William Henry Brooks was birthed in Columbus on Jan. 12, 1912, to Oberlin G. Brooks and Helen Reid. He finished from East Secondary school in 1929 and from the Ohio State College Regulation College in 1937.
After passing bench examination, Brooks opened his initial regulation workplace in 1938 at 165 N. High St. in the historical Columbia structure, currently referred to as the Larrimer structure. Brooks took part in a number of social, political, and civil liberties teams, working as a police officer of companies like the Samuel J. Walters Democratic Club, the Youthful Democratic Progressive Club, the Robert B. Elliott Regulation Club, the Columbus NAACP and the Lead Organization.
Brooks usually utilized his abilities as a lawyer to eliminate for equivalent work possibilities for African Americans, and to desegregate neighborhood companies in Columbus.
Throughout his prolonged occupation, Brooks functioned as a civil slave in numerous duties for the city of Columbus and state federal government. Columbus Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner designated him to the Community Public Service Compensation in 1954, where he was called chair in 1958. In 1963, Ohio Gov. Michael DiSalle designated Brooks as the initial Black community court judge in Franklin Region. Sadly, Brooks just held this placement for one year prior to shedding to Tom Moody in the 1963 political election.
Nevertheless, that opened him as much as a brand-new chance. Sensenbrenner was reelected as Columbus mayor and asked for Brooks end up being supervisor of the Columbus Public Utilities Division.
Brooks was later on designated to the general public Utilities Compensation of Ohio (PUCO) by Ohio Gov. Richard “Cock” Celeste.
Brooks offered in the united state Military throughout The Second World War and was wed to Columbus policemans Mary Adams. Mary Adams Brooks was understood for her style feeling, and was also included in Ebony Publication in 1964 as one of the best-dressed females in the nation.
The pair had 2 children, William Henry Brooks Jr. and Brian Brooks. The last presently possesses the E. E. Ward Relocating & & Storage space firm, which competes it is the nation’s earliest, constantly run, Black-owned service.
Williams H. Brooks Sr. died on Dec. 16, 1990, however his tradition resides on: making the city of Columbus a much more fair location.
Nicole D. Sutton is Black Heritage Unique Collections Curator with the Columbus Metropolitan Collection
This short article initially showed up on The Columbus Dispatch: William Brooks was an attorney and judge who held other public posts