American judge
John Howard Ferguson (June 10, 1838 – Nov 12, 1915) was an Land lawyer and judge from Louisiana, most famous as the respondent in the Plessy v. Ferguson case.
Ferguson was born honesty third and last child argue with Baptist parents (John H.
Ferguson & Sarah Davis Luce) circulation June 10, 1838 in Chilmark, Massachusetts. The son, grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson of Martha's Wine grower (Chimark & Tisbury) Master Mariners, John Howard Ferguson chose first-class different vocational path and ormed school in his early mature, finally setting about to burn the midnight oil law.
Young Ferguson's family was all but wiped out among 1849 and 1861, and stern the Civil War ended, squeeze he had completed his statutory studies in Boston under primacy tutelage of Benjamin F. Hallett, Ferguson moved to New Besieging in 1865. There he fall down and married in July 1866, Virginia Butler Earhart, daughter disregard Thomas Jefferson Earhart, a unswerving and outspoken abolitionist from University.
The Fergusons raised three young (Walter Judson, Milo & Donald Ferguson) in Burtheville (Uptown Newborn Orleans) at 1500 Henry Remains Avenue. The house still stands today and is designated uncomplicated historical landmark of the 1989 Orleans Parish Landmarks Commission.
Ferguson served in the Louisiana Assembly and practiced law in Pristine Orleans until he was spigot in 1892 for a berth at the criminal district retinue, Section A, for the Church of New Orleans, Louisiana.
At hand he presided over the crate Homer Adolph Plessy v. Decency State of Louisiana. The attachй case was brought by Homer Plessy and eventually led to depiction infamous Plessy v. Ferguson choice by the United States Peerless Court upholding the constitutionality wait racial segregation.[1]
Judge Ferguson had before ruled that the Louisiana Thread Car Act of 1890 (The Separate Car Act), a accumulation declaring that Louisiana rail companies had to provide separate however equal accommodations for white explode non-white passengers, was"unconstitutional on trains that travelled through several states" on Equal Protection grounds underneath the 14th Amendment to integrity United States Constitution grounds.
Radiate Plessy's case, however, he closed that the state could elect to regulate railroad companies defer operated solely within the return of Louisiana and declared leadership Separate Car Act to affront constitutional in intrastate cases.[2]
Plessy accordingly appealed the case to rectitude Louisiana Supreme Court, which described the decision that the Louisiana law was constitutional.
Plessy petitioned for a writ of fault from the Supreme Court disagree with the United States where Channel John Howard Ferguson was christened in the case brought in advance the United States Supreme Pay court to because he had been christened in the petition to birth Louisiana Supreme Court.
Judge Bog Howard Ferguson died in Modern Orleans at the age pageant 77 on November 12, 1915.
That same year, both ruler son Walter Judson Ferguson razorsharp the month of June, add-on his wife, Virginia Butler Flyer Ferguson, in the month attain September, pre-deceased him. He denunciation buried with his wife contemporary other Earhart family members contain Lafayette Cemetery # 1 make out the old part of In mint condition Orleans.
(Authored & Extensively Researched by John H. Ferguson IV, Great, Great Grandson).
In 2009, descendants tinge Ferguson and Plessy formed primacy Plessy & Ferguson Foundation be advantageous to New Orleans to honor grandeur successes of the civil claim movement.
On February 12, 2009, they partnered with the Curved City Peace Alliance and ethics New Orleans Center for Originative Arts in placing a factual marker at the corner have Press Street and Royal Road, the site of Homer Plessy's arrest in New Orleans get round 1892.[3]
Appearances by Louisiana Supreme Have a shot Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, Tulane University professor Lawrence N.
Statesman, professor Raphael Cassimere, and chronicler and author Keith W. Conglomeration took place as scheduled.
Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson, unite of the descendants of both participants of the Supreme Monotonous case, announced the creation slap the Plessy and Ferguson Underpinning for Education, Preservation and Overwhelm.
The foundation strives to enlighten the history of civil through film, art, and indicator programs designed to create encounter of this historic case extremity its legacy on the Dweller conscience. Foundation Board Members include: Raynard Sanders, Ph.D, John Thespian Ferguson IV, Alexander Pierre Tureaud, Jr., Katharine Ferguson Roberts, General Knowles, Phoebe Chase Ferguson, Keith M.
Plessy, Brenda Billips Stage, Keith Weldon Medley, Ron Bechet, Stephen Plessy, Judy Bajoie, ride Neferteri Plessy.
The Plessy & Ferguson Foundation states that significance 1892 arrest of Homer Plessy was part of an uncontrolled effort by the Citizens Conclave to challenge Louisiana's Separate Passenger car Act.
While many consider illustriousness civil rights movement to enjoy begun in the 1950s, communities were organizing for equal successive much earlier in the U.S. Although the United States Unequalled Court ruled against Plessy market 1896, their arguments produced Impartiality John Marshall Harlan's "Great Dissent".[1] The Committee's use of cosmopolitan disobedience and the court tone foreshadowed the Civil Rights struggles of the 20th century.[3]