William T. Coleman, Jr. Timelines: Catto Postscript
Philadelphian William Coleman is born. He becomes a leading civil rights activist, serving as an advisor to Thurgood Marshall in preparing arguments and strategy for the Brown v. Board case. After graduating from Harvard Law, he was the first African American to clerk at the Supreme Court. He broke racial barriers throughout his career, served as an advisor to presidents, and was the second African American to serve in a presidential cabinet. He was an advisor to Raymond Pace Alexander on the Girard College desegration case. He was told by his high school teacher that he should become a chauffeur.