315:, where he continued private practice, worked for the Connecticut Department of Labor, and briefly served as an assistant US attorney from 1966 to 1967. He was the first African American to serve as a federal prosecutor in Connecticut. Glass became president of the Connecticut State Federation of Black Democratic Clubs, where he befriended
365:
Glass died at home in
Waterbury on November 27, 2001, a day short of his 79th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Doris (Powell) Glass; a son, Robert D. Glass, Jr.; two daughters, Roberta G. Brown and Rosalyn G. Roundtree, and two grandchildren. Doris Glass was a native of
219:. His family was too poor to afford schoolbooks, so he only began attending school at the age of ten. His mother's employer, a judge, mentored Glass, inviting him to observe court proceedings and discussing cases with him while Glass worked as his
262:
instead. He graduated at the top of his class in 1951, when he became the first
African American admitted to the North Carolina bar. His parents mortgaged their home to give Glass the $ 500 he needed to open a law office.
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and served from June 22, 1987 until
November 28, 1992, when he reached the court's mandatory retirement age of 70. During his five years on the state supreme court, Glass wrote 135 majority opinions.
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In honor of his late mother, Glass established the M. E. Glass
Scholarship Fund to support NCCU School of Law students who exhibit “conspicuous determination by work and scholarship."
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The
Honorable Robert D. Glass Courthouse in Waterbury was named in his honor on May 19, 2008. In 2017, he was inducted into Silas Bronson Library’s Waterbury Hall of Fame.
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in
Waterbury in 1978, when the state's juvenile courts merged into the superior courts. In 1984, Glass became administrative judge for the judicial district of Waterbury.
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279:, which had denied them admission because of their race. The trial court found that Glass was ineligible to remain a plaintiff as he was not a state resident, so the
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254:(then an exclusively African American college) on a basketball scholarship. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude in 1949. Rejected from the
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Glass capped his distinguished career by serving as the first
African American Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. He was nominated by Governor
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declined to hear the case in June 1951. McKissick and four other
African Americans were admitted to the UNC School of Law a week later.
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Glass became the first
African American juvenile court judge in Connecticut Juvenile Court in 1967. Eleven years later, Governor
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Following retirement, he became a trial referee for the state. Glass was a
Baptist and member of the
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604:"So Far: "Sixty years of helping people learn to help others" - 60th Anniversary"
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713:"Dedication Ceremony: The Naming of the Justice Robert D. Glass Courthouse"
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215:. His parents, Isaiah and M. E. (Jackson) Glass, were a farmhand and a
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580:"Mckissick et al. v. Carmichael et al, 187 F.2d 949 (4th Cir. 1951)"
628:"As Printed in the Connecticut Reports, volume 258, pages 953-954"
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A skilled athlete who stood 6 feet 7 inches tall, Glass attended
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and other Black law school applicants to continue the case. The
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Shortly after high school, Glass enlisted in the US Army during
275:, Glass filed a landmark 1949 civil rights action against the
391:
List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Connecticut
481:"The Integration of UNC-Chapel Hill -- Law School First"
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Glass was born into poverty in the racially segregated
179:(November 28, 1922 – November 27, 2001) was the first
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in March 1951, overturning a lower court ruling. The
187:, serving from 1987 to 1992. He was a plaintiff in
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808:University of North Carolina School of Law alumni
684:"Financial Assistance - Grants and Scholarships"
688:North Carolina Central University School of Law
608:North Carolina Central University School of Law
242:. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant.
151:North Carolina Central University School of Law
8:
838:United States Army personnel of World War II
230:, serving from 1943 to 1946 and earning the
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293:US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
277:University of North Carolina School of Law
256:University of North Carolina School of Law
193:University of North Carolina School of Law
47:June 26, 1987 – November 28, 1992
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823:Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court
848:Judges of the Connecticut Superior Court
803:North Carolina Central University alumni
755:Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
311:In 1962, Glass moved with his family to
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518:"Robert Davis Glass, J.D. (1922-2001)"
843:20th-century African-American lawyers
453:"Supreme Court Justice Bids Farewell"
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720:State of Connecticut Judicial Branch
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295:ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in
258:due to his race, Glass attended the
652:"Leaving Behind More Than Memories"
551:"Robert Davis Glass Sr. (obituary)"
793:People from Waterbury, Connecticut
330:appointed him to the bench of the
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252:North Carolina Central University
156:North Carolina Central University
419:"Robert Davis Glass (1922-2001)"
386:List of African-American jurists
818:Connecticut state court judges
479:Nixon, Donna L. (2019-09-01).
417:Maxwell, Elissa (2018-03-01).
240:Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal
1:
798:People from Wetumpka, Alabama
833:20th-century American judges
323:for a judicial appointment.
451:Tuohy, Lynne (1992-06-11).
864:
332:Connecticut Superior Court
236:World War II Victory Medal
16:American judge (1922–2001)
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632:Connecticut State Library
485:North Carolina Law Review
191:, which desegregated the
185:Connecticut Supreme Court
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35:Connecticut Supreme Court
28:
828:African-American judges
297:McKissick v. Carmichael
189:McKissick v. Carmichael
690:. 2016. Archived from
313:Waterbury, Connecticut
128:Waterbury, Connecticut
559:Montgomery Advertiser
525:Silas Bronson Library
457:The Hartford Courant
368:Norwich, Connecticut
813:Connecticut lawyers
267:Civil rights action
740:Political offices
656:The New York Times
339:William A. O'Neill
283:and lead attorney
273:Harold T. Epps Sr.
260:NCCU School of Law
232:Good Conduct Medal
177:Robert Davis Glass
59:William A. O'Neill
23:Robert Davis Glass
771:
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765:Richard N. Palmer
762:Succeeded by
748:Joseph F. Dannehy
285:Thurgood Marshall
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121:November 27, 2001
111:Wetumpka, Alabama
108:November 28, 1922
83:Richard N. Palmer
71:Joseph F. Dannehy
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491:(6): 1741–1793.
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301:US Supreme Court
181:African American
139:Democratic Party
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355:American Legion
321:John N. Dempsey
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307:Judicial career
289:Floyd McKissick
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217:domestic worker
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183:justice of the
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135:Political party
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33:Justice of the
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658:. 2002-01-06.
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724:. Retrieved
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692:the original
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561:. 2001-12-01
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228:World War II
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123:(2001-11-27)
78:Succeeded by
53:Appointed by
42:
788:2001 deaths
783:1922 births
328:Ella Grasso
317:Gerald Lamb
287:brought in
66:Preceded by
777:Categories
759:1987–1992
726:2021-02-27
698:2021-02-28
669:2021-02-28
637:2021-02-28
613:2021-02-28
589:2021-02-28
584:Justia Law
565:2021-02-28
531:2021-02-27
462:2021-02-27
428:2021-02-28
423:Black Past
397:References
238:, and the
205:Deep South
199:Early life
163:Occupation
146:Alma mater
104:1922-11-28
664:0362-4331
497:0029-2524
246:Education
195:in 1951.
57:Governor
43:In office
380:See also
209:Wetumpka
213:Alabama
722:. 2008
662:
495:
361:Legacy
353:, and
351:Masons
221:caddie
716:(PDF)
527:. n.d
521:(PDF)
281:NAACP
271:With
207:, in
660:ISSN
493:ISSN
347:Elks
158:(BA)
153:(JD)
130:, US
118:Died
113:, US
98:Born
779::
718:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.