Two New Top Officials Named by NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Press Release
February 1, 1965

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Press Releases, Volume 2. Two New Top Officials Named by NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 1965. 3e24faa2-b592-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/df4d0e76-828c-4ecc-9b93-ca8ca5ef6356/two-new-top-officials-named-by-naacp-legal-defense-fund. Accessed April 22, 2025.
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10 Columbus Circle New York, N.Y. 10019 JUdson 6-8397 NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund PRESS RELEASE n"Dr. Allan’ Knight Chatniers Director-Counsel Jack Greenberg FOR RELEASE Monday February 1, 1965 Associate Counsel Constance Baker Motley TWO NEW TOP OFFICIALS NAMED BY NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND NEW YORK CITY -- In unanimous agreement, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors announced that the Honorable Francis E. Rivers, former New York City Civil Court Judge has been chosen to succeed Dr. Allan K. Chalmers as President of the Legal Defense Fund. The Board reported, also, that Legal Defense Board member i William T. Coleman, Jr., has been selected as Vice-President, the office formerly held by Judge Rivers. The shift was made necessary by the announced intention to resign of Dr. Chalmers, taking effect in April. Judge Rivers, Yale Phi Beta Kappa and Columbia Law School graduate, is presently Special Mediator for New York State Board of Mediation, and Hearing Officer for New York Waterfront Commission. He has served on the Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors © since 1950. foe In 1963, Judge Rivers, a Negro, was appointed Chairman of the Special Committee on Civil Rights Under Law of the Bar Association of New York City, a committee created to study federal laws--re- lating to the enforcement of civil rights and to propose visions for their modernization. His distinguished career has cast Judge Rivers as a successful © private law practioner, legislator, government officeholder, and civic activist. Having won election as Justice of the City Court of New York, after appointment to that bench by former Governor T. E. Dewey in 1943, he was singularly honored when the Democratic, Republican and Liberal parties, all, renominated him in 1953 for his last ten-year term as Civil Court Judge. He has spent 20 years of service as a judge and 5 years as Assistant District Attorney. His other activities include: Participation as a member of the Board of New York Association for the Blind, Children's Village, Freedom House, and Vice-President of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York; and membership on the Citizens' Committee for Reapportionment of New York State Legislature and Committee on Minimum Wage Legislation. He resides in New York City with his wife, Mrs, Alroy Spencer Rivers, psychologist with the Bureau of Child Guidance. William T. Coleman, Jr., who recently served as Senior Consultant and Assistant General Counsel to the President's Commission on the Assasination of President Kennedy, is a partner in the Law Firm of Dilworth, Paxson, Kalish, Kohn and Dilks of Philadelphia. He specializes in resolving matters that have to go before federal regulatory commissions. Mr. Coleman received his A.B. degree from the University of Pennsylvania; gradUating summa cum laude and his law degree from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude. (more) Jesse DeVore, Jr., Director of Public Information—Night Number 212 Riverside 9-8487 Sa Two New Top Officials Named -2- February 1, 1965 By NAACP Legal Defense Fund Starting his law career as Law Secretary to United States Supreme.Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, he has an outstanding record of legal, professional and public accomplishments. Attorney Coleman is married to the former Miss Lovida Hardin. They livein. Philadelphia, Pa., with their. three children, William, Tit, Lovida and Learned. He, too, is scheduled to assume his new office in April of this year, 4 & -30- eeniasy