TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
The Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones 1926–2020 65 th Laurel Wreath Laureate Retired U.S. Circuit Court Judge, Civil Rights Attorney, Former NAACP General Counsel, U.S. Army
By Aaron Williams
I n an award acceptance speech, Nathaniel R. Jones (Beta Pi 1948) said about himself “Being a lawyer was my calling, and that calling is the work for equal opportunity and jus- tice for all our nation's citizens.” For his entire professional career, Brother Jones was a champion in the courtroom for equality, education, and opportunity for all. Roslyn A. Brock from National As- sociation for the Advancement of Col- ored People (NAACP) National Board of Directors commented “Nathaniel Jones is a pioneer who has never failed to stand for the rights of people denied a chance to be part of the process. His distinguished career serves as inspira- tion to our thousands of youth leaders working to end the profound segregation that continues to exist in our society to this day.” Brother Jones was a retired federal judge, civil rights attorney, law school professor, NAACP attorney, presiden- tial appointee and mentor to hundreds of attorneys clerked for him. Brother Jones, the 65 th Laurel Wreath Laureate, entered the Chapter Invisible on Janu- ary 26, 2020 of congestive heart failure at the age of 93. The NAACP released following statement on the passing of Judge Jones, “The entire NAACP fam- ily is devastated by this news. To the nation, he was a civil rights icon. To the NAACP, he was a beloved leader, col-
league, and friend.”
the African American newspaper, the Buckeye Review which a teenaged Jones wrote a sports column called Sports Shorts. Dickerson introduced the young Jones to many earlier leaders of the famed civil rights, NAACP, which Jones would be closely identified with in his adult years. After high school, Jones enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in World War II. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he used the benefits of the G.I. Bill to attend college. Jones entered Youngstown College (now Youngstown State University (YSU)) where he earned a bachelor's and LL.B. degrees in 1951 and 1956 respectively. He joined the fraternity as a 1948 initiate of the Youngstown State University Chapter, the Beta Pi of Kappa Alpha Psi ® where he served as Polemarch. After his admittance in 1957 to the Ohio Bar, Jones opened a private prac- tice in his hometown of Youngstown. In 1961, he was appointed Executive Di- rector of the Fair Employment Practices Committee. In 1962, then-U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy appointed Jones as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, the first African American to hold this office. In 1967, President Lyndon Baines Johnson appointed Jones the Assistant General Counsel to the National Advisory Com-
“Today we lost a giant,” commented U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). “Nathaniel Jones, a Youngstown native, devoted his life to fighting for civil rights. His de- cades of service to the NAACP began as a youth council member in Youngstown, rising to the position of general counsel, where he argued cases in front of the Supreme Court and led litigation to stop discrimination in the military, end school segregation and defend affirmative ac- tion. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will not be forgotten.” Jones was born on May 13, 1926 in Youngstown, OH the son of Lillian (née Brown) Jones and Nathaniel Bacon Jones. Raised in Youngstown and graduated from the city’s South High School. Jones was exposed to issues of Civil Rights and the systematic disen- franchisement of African Americans at an early age. Living in what he char- acterized “a Jim Crow existence” in Youngstown, Jones frequently attended, with his mother, speeches on civil rights at local YMCA which provided an edu- cation for the young man. J. Maynard Dickerson (Zeta 1920), the first African American city prosecutor in the country, served as a hugely influen- tial role model and mentor for the young Jones. Dickerson was also publisher of
124 | SPRING 2020 ♦ THE JOURNAL
Publishing achievement for more than 105 years
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