Hayes, George E. C. (George Edward Chalmers), 1894-1968

Civil rights attorney of Washington, D.C.

From the description of George E.C. Hayes papers, 1922-1956 (bulk 1947-1956). (Historical Society of Washington, Dc). WorldCat record id: 70946704

Civil rights attorney and University Counsel for Howard University.

From the description of Papers, 1911-1968. (Moorland-Spingarn Resource Center). WorldCat record id: 70941151

George Edward Chalmers Hayes (1894-1968), civil rights attorney and University Counsel for Howard University, was an individual whose accomplishments were often labeled as ""firsts"".

He was the first Black man to serve as chairman of the District of Columbia Public Utilities Commission; the first Black elected to the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Board of Trade; and the first Black lawyer to hold office in the District of Columbia Bar Association when he was elected to its Board of Directors. He served on the Howard University Board of Trustees for more than eighteen years, as the University Counsel for more than thirty-five years, and as adjunct professor at the Howard University Law School.

• 1894: Born in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a prominent attorney, James H. Hayes.
• 1911: Graduated M St. High School, Washington, D.C.
• 1915: Graduated (undergraduate degree) Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
• 1918: Received L.L.B. degree, Howard University Law School, Washington, D.C.
• 1924 - 1936 : Appointed Faculty Member, Howard University Law School.
• 1945 - 1949 : Member of the District of Columbia School Board, Washington, D.C.
• 1954: Successfully argued school desegregation cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• 1955: Appointed by the Eisenhower administration to serve on the capital's Public Utilities Commission.
• 1960: Named Board Member of the National Capital Housing Authority.
• 1962: Elected to the Board of Directors of the D.C. Bar Association.
• 1963: Named the D.C. Bar Association Lawyer of the Year.
• 1966: Elected to the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade.
• 1967: Elected co-chairman of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Capital Area.
• 1968: Died of pneumonia at the Washington Hospital Center.

Source: George E.C. Hayes Papers, Box 150-1, Folder l, "Biographical Sketches", MSRC, Howard University.

From the guide to the George E.C. Hayes Papers, 1911-1968, (Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University)