Herb H. Henderson
BornJune 23, 1929
McDowell County, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedOctober 16, 2007 (aged 78)
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
EducationWest Virginia State College (BA)
George Washington University (JD)
OccupationAttorney
SpouseMaxine Henderson
Children4

Herbert H. Henderson (June 23, 1929 – October 16, 2007)[1] was an American attorney and civil rights activist from Huntington, West Virginia.[2][3] He was also president of the West Virginia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 20 years.[2][4]

Early life and education

Henderson was born in McDowell County, West Virginia, to John and Elnora Henderson. He graduated from West Virginia State College in 1953.[5][6] He earned a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School in 1958, where he was the first black student to graduate.[4]

Career

Henderson founded a law practice in Huntington after graduating from George Washington University.[4] Some of his notable cases include NAACP v. West Virginia Department of Public Safety, which allowed African American women to be admitted to the West Virginia State Police.[4] He was president of the West Virginia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 20 years, from 1966 to 1986.[2][4][6] Henderson also worked as general counsel for the National NAACP in 1984 and again from 1989 through 1990.[6]

Personal life

Henderson was married to Maxine Henderson for 49 years. The couple had four daughters.[6] Henderson died on October 16, 2007.

He was preceded in death by his wife.[6] Prior to his death, Henderson was honored with the NAACP William Robert Ming Advocacy Award in 1995 as someone who "exemplifies the spirit of financial and personal sacrifice that Ming displayed in his legal work for the NAACP."[2] Three of the daughters followed his interest in law and are attorneys in Huntington.[1][7] His daughter, Cheryl Henderson, is the first African American Municipal Judge in Huntington.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Bailey, Cara. "Prominent civil rights attorney Henderson dies". West Virginia Record. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "NAACP | NAACP Mourns Loss of Former General Counsel and West Virginia Civil Rights Pioneer". NAACP. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  3. ↑ "WV Civil Rights Heroes". JR Clifford. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Herald-Dispatch.com (18 October 2007). "Civil rights attorney Herb Henderson dies". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  5. ↑ "CAG Action Alert". wvcag.org. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 United States Congressional Record, October 22, 2007.
  7. ↑ Herald-Dispatch, Jean Tarbett (February 9, 2010). "Huntington attorney follows in father's footsteps". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  8. ↑ "Making a Difference". Huntington Quarterly. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
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