Durr, Virginia Foster

Virginia Foster Durr (1903-1999) was a civil rights activist and a friend of Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. She was a relief worker during the Great Depression, worked as a lobbyist and campaign worker for Progressive Party candidate Henry Wallace in the 1940s, ran as a candidate for governor of Virginia in 1948, and worked as a civil rights activist in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s.

Civil rights activist; interviewee, b.1903, married Clifford Durr.

Virginia Foster Durr political and civil rights activist in Georgia.

Virginia Foster Durr was born in 1903 and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended Wellesley College from 1921 to 1923, and in 1926 married Clifford Judkins Durr. She was active in the Southern Conference on Human Welfare, primarily fighting the poll tax (1938-1948); campaigned for the Progressive Party, supporting Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential bid; and endorsed the American Peace Crusade (1951).

Born in 1903 and raised in Birmingham, Ala., Virginia Foster Durr was the youngest child of Anne (Patterson) and Sterling Johnson Foster. She attended Wellesley College from 1921 to 1923 and in 1926 married Clifford Judkins Durr. In 1933 the Durrs moved to Seminary Hill, Va.. During the years the Durrs lived there, Virginia Durr led an active social life. Her circle included government officials she knew through her husband and her sister, Josephine, and brother-in-law, Hugo Black, Sr. She also devoted time to liberal causes. From 1938 to 1948 Durr was active in the Southern Conference on Human Welfare, primarily fighting the poll tax. She campaigned for the Progressive Party, supporting Henry Agard Wallace's 1948 presidential bid. She also endorsed the American Peace Crusade in 1951.

In 1951, after a brief period in Denver, the Durrs returned to Alabama, where Clifford Durr opened a private law practice in Montgomery, and Virginia Durr worked as his secretary. In 1954 Virginia Durr and others were accused of being Communists and were called before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by James Eastland of Mississippi. Although Clifford Durr did not serve as his wife's attorney, he did a great deal of work on the case. The accusations were ultimately proven to be false.

In 1955, when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, Clifford Durr was called in as her attorney and arranged for her release on bail. This incident sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, during which African Americans refused to ride on public transportation in the city for over a year.

The Durrs had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood: Ann Durr Lyon, Lucy Durr Hackney, Virginia Foster ("Tilla") Durr, and Lulah Durr Colan. Since the death of Clifford Durr in 1975, Virginia Durr has continued to live in Wetumpka, Ala., spending summers on Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Her autobiography, Outside the Magic Circle, was published in 1985. She died in Carlisle, Pa., in 1999.

Durr was born on 1903 Aug. 5 to the Presbyterian minister Sterling J.and Anne Patterson Foster in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., Ala. She attended public schools in Birmingham, the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., then Wellesley College. On 1926 Apr. 5 she married Clifford J. Durr. In the early 1930's she was active in getting the Birmingham Junior League to begin a free milk project and free music concerts.

In 1933 the Durrs moved to Washington, D.C., where Virginia became active in the women's division of the Democratic National Committee. She was also active in the Southern Conference for Human Welfare from 1938 forward, and at its founding in 1939 became Vice-Chair of the Committee to Abolish the Poll Tax. After World War II she became interested in the peace movement, especially in opposing the U.S. continuing involvement in the Korean War. Her primary concern in the 1950's and 1960's, however, remained civil rights, especially voting rights for blacks and poor whites in the South. In that effort she actively worked.

She and her husband had five children. One child, Cliff, Jr., was born in 1935, but died in 1938. Their other children, in order of birth, were Anne Patterson, who married Walter A. Lyon; Lucy Judkins, who married F. Sheldon Hackney; Virginia Foster, who married Frank R. Parker III; and Lulah Johnston, who married Richard V. Colan.

Born in 1903 and raised in Birmingham, Ala., Virginia Foster Durr was the youngest child of Anne (Patterson) and Sterling Johnson Foster. She attended Wellesley College from 1921 to 1923 and in 1926 married Clifford Judkins Durr. In 1933 the Durrs moved to Seminary Hill, Va.. During the years the Durrs lived there, Virginia Durr led an active social life. Her circle included government officials she knew through her husband and her sister, Josephine, and brother-in-law, Hugo Black, Sr. She also devoted time to liberal causes. Durr was active in the Southern Conference on Human Welfare, primarily fighting the poll tax (1938-48), campaigned for the Progressive Party, supporting Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential bid and endorsed the American Peace Crusade (1951).

In 1951, Clifford Durr opened a private law practice in Montgomery, with Virginia Durr acting as his secretary. In 1954 Virginia Durr and others were accused of being Communists and were called before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by James Eastland of Mississippi. The accusations were ultimately proven to be false. In 1955, when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white passanger, Clifford Durr arranged for her release on bail. The Durrs had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood. Since the death of Clifford Durr in 1975, Virginia Durr continued to live in Wetumpka, Ala. Her autobiography, Outside the Magic Circle, was published in 1985. She died in Carlisle, Pa., in 1999.

Born in 1903 and raised in Birmingham, Ala., Virginia Foster Durr was the youngest child of Anne (Patterson) and Sterling Johnson Foster. She attended Wellesley College from 1921 to 1923 and in 1926 married Clifford Judkins Durr. In 1933 the Durrs moved to Seminary Hill, Va.. During the years the Durrs lived there, Virginia Durr led an active social life. Her circle included government officials she knew through her husband and her sister, Josephine, and brother-in-law, Hugo Black, Sr. She also devoted time to liberal causes. Durr was active in the Southern Conference on Human Welfare, primarily fighting the poll tax (1938-1948); campaigned for the Progressive Party, supporting Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential bid; and endorsed the American Peace Crusade (1951).

In 1951, Clifford Durr opened a private law practice in Montgomery, with Virginia acting as his secretary. In 1954 Virginia Durr and others were accused of being Communists and were called before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, chaired by James Eastland of Mississippi. The accusations were ultimately proven false. In 1955, when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, Clifford Durr arranged for her release on bail.The Durrs had five children, four of which survived to adulthood. Since the death of Clifford Durr in 1975, Virginia Durr has continued to live in Wetumpka, Ala. Her autobiography, Outside the Magic Circle, was published in 1985. She died in Carlisle, Pa., in 1999.

Born 6 August, 1903, and raised in Birmingham, Ala., VFD was the youngest child of Anne (Patterson) and Sterling Johnson Foster. She attended Wellesley College from 1921 to 1923, when she was forced to withdraw due to lack of funds. In 1926 she married Clifford Judkins Durr. In 1933, when CJD was appointed to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), the Durrs moved to Seminary Hill, Va.; CJD later worked for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

During the years the Durrs lived in Virginia, VFD led an active social life. Her circle included government officials she knew through CJD and through her sister, Josephine, and brother-in-law, Hugo Black, Sr., who was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1937. She also devoted time to liberal causes. From 1938 to 1948 VFD was active in the Southern Conference in Human Welfare, primarily fighting the poll tax. She campaigned for progressive Democrats in 1942 and for the Progressive Party, supporting Henry A. Wallace's 1948 presidential bid. She also endorsed the American Peace Crusade in 1951.

In 1951, after a brief period in Denver, the Durrs returned to Alabama, where CJD opened a private law practice in Montgomery, and VFD worked as his secretary. In 1954 VFD and others were accused of being Communists and were called before the Senate Internal Security Sub-Committee, chaired by Senator James Eastland of Mississippi. Although CJD did not serve as VFD's attorney, he did a great deal of work on the case, collecting information about the informants and providing legal advice to VFD and her co-defendants. The accusations were ultimately proven to be false.

In 1955, when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, CJD was called in as her attorney and arranged for her release on bail. This incident sparked the "Montgomery Bus Boycott," during which African Americans refused to ride on public transportation in the city for over a year. Thus began a second period of civil rights activism for VFD.

VFD's political activities, and CJD's activities with the National Lawyers' Guild and his public attacks on loyalty oaths and the FBI, led to surveillance by the Bureau. The FBI reports on the Durrs, released to VFD in 1977 under the Freedom of Information Act, are in this collection (#6-10 and 25-30).

The Durrs had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood: Ann Durr Lyon, Lucy Durr Hackney, Virginia Foster ("Tilla") Durr, and Lulah Durr Colan. Since the death of CJD in 1975, VFD has continued to live in Wetumpka, Ala., spending summers on Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Her autobiography, Outside the Magic Circle , was published in 1985.