Meeks, Cordell D., 1914-1987

Cordell D. Meeks was born 25 Sept 1914 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Reverend and Mrs. C. A. Meeks. After the family moved to Kansas City, Kansas, Meeks attended that city's public schools (Garrison, Douglass, Northeast Junior High, and Sumner High). He then went on to the University of Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1937 and, in 1940, a Juris Doctorate. After graduating, Meeks worked in a private law practice in Kansas City, Kansas, opening his own office there in 1941. From 1947 to 1951, Meeks worked as an assistant District Attorney; seven years later, in 1958, he became a senior partner in the firm of Meeks, Gray, Franklin, Smith, & Whyte. In 1972, Meeks was elected Wyandotte County District Court judge, a position he held until his 1 Jan 1981 retirement. His election to the position made him the first African American elected to a Kansas District Court. In 1971, he was recommended for the Kansas State Supreme Court.

In 1950, Meeks was elected Wyandotte County Commissioner; he served in that position for twenty-four years. He was elected Chairman of the Board in 1965. Meeks was also highly active in various organizations, including: First A.M.E. Church, where he served on the Trustee Board, the NAACP, and the Democratic Party, for which he was a National Convention delegate in both 1949 and 1954.

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