Two New Top Officials Named by NAACP Legal Defense Fund

    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 

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