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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_N._Leighton
George Neves Leighton (born George Neves Leitão; October 22, 1912 – June 6, 2018) was an American jurist who served as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Leighton graduated in 1940 from Howard University, a historically black college, with an Artium Baccalaureus degree. In April 1940, Leighton received a hand written note from then Dean of Harvard Law School, James McCauley Landis to visit the law school. The following next weekend, he took a bus to Cambridge and called the dean's office and was allowed to see him. It was there, that Leighton advocated for himself to be admitted by telling Dean Landis his life story. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Dean Landis told him that he would see him in September.[11] He started law school at Harvard University in September 1940 but was interrupted by the United States' entry into World War II. From 1942 to 1945, during World War II, Leighton had served in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Captain and being awarded the Asiatic Pacific Service Metal, Bronze Star. After the war he returned to Harvard Law School and earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1946.[3]
George Neves Leighton (born George Neves Leitão; October 22, 1912 – June 6, 2018) was an American jurist who served as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Leighton graduated in 1940 from Howard University, a historically black college, with an Artium Baccalaureus degree. In April 1940, Leighton received a hand written note from then Dean of Harvard Law School, James McCauley Landis to visit the law school. The following next weekend, he took a bus to Cambridge and called the dean's office and was allowed to see him. It was there, that Leighton advocated for himself to be admitted by telling Dean Landis his life story. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Dean Landis told him that he would see him in September.[11] He started law school at Harvard University in September 1940 but was interrupted by the United States' entry into World War II. From 1942 to 1945, during World War II, Leighton had served in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Captain and being awarded the Asiatic Pacific Service Metal, Bronze Star. After the war he returned to Harvard Law School and earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1946.[3]
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Judge George Leighton Return of the Native
New Bedford videographer Ann Marie Lopes talks with retired federal Judge George Leighton about growing up in New Bedford and his extraordinary career.
Thank you, my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that October 22 is the anniversary of the birth of a young man who never attended high school, who graduated summa cum laude from Howard University, served in WWII as an infantry soldier who advanced to the rank of Captain George Neves Leighton (born George Neves Leitão) who became "an American jurist who served as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois."
Judge George Leighton Return of the Native
"New Bedford videographer Ann Marie Lopes talks with retired federal Judge George Leighton about growing up in New Bedford and his extraordinary career."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJLcXKoUhmA
Images:
1. Judge George Leighton
2. Judge George Leighton in 1999.
3. Judge George Leighton tombstone.
Biographies
1. blackpast.org/african-american-history/leighton-george-neves-1912-2018/
2.
Background from blackpast.org/african-american-history/leighton-george-neves-1912-2018/
GEORGE NEVES LEIGHTON (1912-2018)
POSTED ONJULY 4, 2018BY CONTRIBUTED BY: BARBARA BURGO
Judge George Neves Leighton and his twin sister, Georgina, were born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on October 22, 1912, to Cape Verdeanimmigrants Antonio Neves Leitao and Anna Silva Garcia Leitao. His last name was changed,with his parents permission, to Leighton by an elementary school teacher who could not pronounce “Leitao.”
As a child laborer, Leighton worked closely with his father in the cranberry bogs, strawberry patches, and blueberry bushes of Cape Cod. His father, Antonio Neves, was well educated in Brava, Cape Verde Islands, spoke fluent Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole but never became fluent in English. George remembers barely speaking English until he attended Howard University. Although he had not completed high school because he went to work on an oil tanker at the age of 16, he began taking night classes.
At age 21, while working at a restaurant in Boston, Leighton entered an essay contest in New Bedford. He tied for first place and won $200.00. He then wrote to Howard University in hopes of being admitted that fall. He received a response letter indicating that matriculation without a high school degree was not possible but as an adult he could take classes, pay regular tuition and fees, and have his record reviewed for possible matriculation in the future. Leighton took that suggestion, studied voraciously, and graduated from Howard University on June 7, 1940 (Magna Cum Laude) at the age of 27. While at Howard he was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society, earned a commission in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corp, and a scholarship to Harvard University Law School.
Leighton’s law school studies were interrupted in 1942 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of Captain of Infantry and when the war ended in 1945, he left military service and returned to Harvard Law School. Graduating from the institution the following year (1946) with an L.L.B. degree, he moved to Chicago, Illinois.
Passing the Illinois Bar exam in 1947, Leighton later served as the Chairman of the Legal Redress Committee of the Chicago NAACP and was appointed an Illinois Assistant Attorney General for the Chicago area in 1949. In 1951 Leighton co-founded Moore, Ming, and Leighton which became one of the largest predominantly black law firms in the nation. He also served as the President of Chicago’s NAACP and in 1964 was elected a Cook County Circuit Court judge. In 1969 Leighton became the first African American to be appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court. President Gerald Ford nominated Judge Leighton to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in 1975 and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 2, 1976.
At age 75, Judge Leighton retired from the U.S. District Court and joined the law firm of Earl L. Neal & Associates. During his long career as an attorney and judge, he mentored several young Chicago lawyers including Barack Obama and was proud to live to see him become the first African American President of the United States.
In 2005, the New Bedford Post Office was renamed in his honor and in 2012 Chicago’s Cook County Courthouse was named The George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building. He and his late wife, Virginia Berry Quivers (who died in 1992), had two children, Virginia Anne and Barbara Elaine. On October 22, 2017, Judge Leighton celebrated his 105th birthday at the Veterans Administration hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Judge George Neves Leighton died on June 6, 2018 at the age of 105 in Brockton, Massachusetts."
2. Background from thechessdrum.net/historicmoments/HM_marapr04.html
" Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on October 12, 1912, George was born George Neves Leitao. His parents, Anna Silva Garcia and Antonio Neves Leitao, Cape Verdean immigrants from the coast of Africa and had six other children. It was in school that he got the name "Leighton" as the teacher claimed she could not (or perhaps did not want to) pronounce his last name "Leitao." His parents, wanting no problems for their son, agreed.
The Honorable George Neves (Leitao) Leighton
"No one has ever given me a greater gift than she did."
~Judge George N. Leighton on Mary Layden, this first chess teacher~
The Making of a Legal Scholar
Young George actually left school before the 7th grade to take a job on an oil tanker in the Dutch West Indies, or Netherlands Antilles as it is called today. At age 24, he applied to the prestigious Howard University and after an initial rejection, was actually accepted without a high school diploma on the condition that he prove he could do the work. Leighton performed in stellar fashion and graduated in 1940 with highest honors. He then entered Harvard Law School based on the strength of a scholarship he won from an essay contest. He graduated in 1946 and later joined the Massachusetts and Illinois bar associations.
Leighton began his legal career upon graduation and in 1951 help to establish McCoy, Ming and Leighton. He made his mark in several civil rights cases including a couple infringing on his own rights. In 1964, he became Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County (1964-1969) and Judge of Appellate Court (1969-1976). He was appointed to the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois in 1976 (under President Gerald Ford) and served until 1986. In 1987, he retired at age 75 to become counsel to a Chicago law firm, Earl L. Neal and Associates. Last year, he received the 2003 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for his life-long service to the legal profession.
While Judge Leighton is grateful for the success he has enjoyed, he realizes that the legal system still has its challenges with regard to fairness. In a June 2003 interview, he stated:
"The average Hispanic, the average African-American, thinks when he walks into courtroom where everyone is white besides him, he is convinced the judgment has already been entered against him. They aren't imagining things. There are many communities in America where the cards are stacked against minorities before the case is called. They are relieved when they walk in and see a member of their race sitting on the bench."
His Passion for Chess
As a young boy in New Bedford, he took up chess at a informal boy's club run by Mary Hayden. "She had a 'burden' to help underprivileged kids," he recalled in a 1987, local cable TV interview with host Jack Custodio. Over the years, Mr. Leighton has made a number of gifts in her memory to the United States Chess Federation. "No one has ever given me a greater gift than she did," he said.
Judge Leighton was active in the Chicago chess circuit when time allowed him to do so. I personally remember playing with Judge Leighton in tournaments around the city and also remember him playing the Colle System with white. For many years, Judge Leighton seem to hover around in Class "A," but appeared to get stronger after his retirement. His rating reached into the high 2000s and he maintained his "Expert" rating for a short while.
He was particularly proud of beating FM Leonid Kaushansky in a classical tournament game sometime in the 80s. FM Kaushansky, a Russian émigré, was terrorizing Chicago chess in those days by winning every tournament in sight. However, on this particular day, Leighton had his number. That game was actually published in both the Illinois Chess Bulletin and U.S. Chess Life magazines. In his retirement, he continued to spend some time playing at Chicago public schools, but his last tournament activity was in 2002.
The Honorable George Neves (Leitao) Leighton
Judge George Leighton in 1999.
(Photo by SouthCoastToday.com)
Life Secrets
In a 1999 interview, Judge Leighton credits his longevity to good genes and a healthy lifestyle. "I never smoked, I don't drink alcoholic or carbonated beverages, and I eat two meals a day."
Sources
Just the Beginning Foundation, "From Slavery to the Supreme Court: The African-American Journey Through the Federal Courts," Profile: Judge George Leighton.
Robert Lovinger, "A Just Life," New Standard, 13 June 1999.
Jodi Cohen, "Courts could lose trust, confidence of minorities," The Detroit News, 16 June 2003."
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Judge George Leighton Return of the Native
"New Bedford videographer Ann Marie Lopes talks with retired federal Judge George Leighton about growing up in New Bedford and his extraordinary career."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJLcXKoUhmA
Images:
1. Judge George Leighton
2. Judge George Leighton in 1999.
3. Judge George Leighton tombstone.
Biographies
1. blackpast.org/african-american-history/leighton-george-neves-1912-2018/
2.
Background from blackpast.org/african-american-history/leighton-george-neves-1912-2018/
GEORGE NEVES LEIGHTON (1912-2018)
POSTED ONJULY 4, 2018BY CONTRIBUTED BY: BARBARA BURGO
Judge George Neves Leighton and his twin sister, Georgina, were born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on October 22, 1912, to Cape Verdeanimmigrants Antonio Neves Leitao and Anna Silva Garcia Leitao. His last name was changed,with his parents permission, to Leighton by an elementary school teacher who could not pronounce “Leitao.”
As a child laborer, Leighton worked closely with his father in the cranberry bogs, strawberry patches, and blueberry bushes of Cape Cod. His father, Antonio Neves, was well educated in Brava, Cape Verde Islands, spoke fluent Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole but never became fluent in English. George remembers barely speaking English until he attended Howard University. Although he had not completed high school because he went to work on an oil tanker at the age of 16, he began taking night classes.
At age 21, while working at a restaurant in Boston, Leighton entered an essay contest in New Bedford. He tied for first place and won $200.00. He then wrote to Howard University in hopes of being admitted that fall. He received a response letter indicating that matriculation without a high school degree was not possible but as an adult he could take classes, pay regular tuition and fees, and have his record reviewed for possible matriculation in the future. Leighton took that suggestion, studied voraciously, and graduated from Howard University on June 7, 1940 (Magna Cum Laude) at the age of 27. While at Howard he was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society, earned a commission in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corp, and a scholarship to Harvard University Law School.
Leighton’s law school studies were interrupted in 1942 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of Captain of Infantry and when the war ended in 1945, he left military service and returned to Harvard Law School. Graduating from the institution the following year (1946) with an L.L.B. degree, he moved to Chicago, Illinois.
Passing the Illinois Bar exam in 1947, Leighton later served as the Chairman of the Legal Redress Committee of the Chicago NAACP and was appointed an Illinois Assistant Attorney General for the Chicago area in 1949. In 1951 Leighton co-founded Moore, Ming, and Leighton which became one of the largest predominantly black law firms in the nation. He also served as the President of Chicago’s NAACP and in 1964 was elected a Cook County Circuit Court judge. In 1969 Leighton became the first African American to be appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court. President Gerald Ford nominated Judge Leighton to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in 1975 and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 2, 1976.
At age 75, Judge Leighton retired from the U.S. District Court and joined the law firm of Earl L. Neal & Associates. During his long career as an attorney and judge, he mentored several young Chicago lawyers including Barack Obama and was proud to live to see him become the first African American President of the United States.
In 2005, the New Bedford Post Office was renamed in his honor and in 2012 Chicago’s Cook County Courthouse was named The George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building. He and his late wife, Virginia Berry Quivers (who died in 1992), had two children, Virginia Anne and Barbara Elaine. On October 22, 2017, Judge Leighton celebrated his 105th birthday at the Veterans Administration hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Judge George Neves Leighton died on June 6, 2018 at the age of 105 in Brockton, Massachusetts."
2. Background from thechessdrum.net/historicmoments/HM_marapr04.html
" Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on October 12, 1912, George was born George Neves Leitao. His parents, Anna Silva Garcia and Antonio Neves Leitao, Cape Verdean immigrants from the coast of Africa and had six other children. It was in school that he got the name "Leighton" as the teacher claimed she could not (or perhaps did not want to) pronounce his last name "Leitao." His parents, wanting no problems for their son, agreed.
The Honorable George Neves (Leitao) Leighton
"No one has ever given me a greater gift than she did."
~Judge George N. Leighton on Mary Layden, this first chess teacher~
The Making of a Legal Scholar
Young George actually left school before the 7th grade to take a job on an oil tanker in the Dutch West Indies, or Netherlands Antilles as it is called today. At age 24, he applied to the prestigious Howard University and after an initial rejection, was actually accepted without a high school diploma on the condition that he prove he could do the work. Leighton performed in stellar fashion and graduated in 1940 with highest honors. He then entered Harvard Law School based on the strength of a scholarship he won from an essay contest. He graduated in 1946 and later joined the Massachusetts and Illinois bar associations.
Leighton began his legal career upon graduation and in 1951 help to establish McCoy, Ming and Leighton. He made his mark in several civil rights cases including a couple infringing on his own rights. In 1964, he became Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County (1964-1969) and Judge of Appellate Court (1969-1976). He was appointed to the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois in 1976 (under President Gerald Ford) and served until 1986. In 1987, he retired at age 75 to become counsel to a Chicago law firm, Earl L. Neal and Associates. Last year, he received the 2003 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for his life-long service to the legal profession.
While Judge Leighton is grateful for the success he has enjoyed, he realizes that the legal system still has its challenges with regard to fairness. In a June 2003 interview, he stated:
"The average Hispanic, the average African-American, thinks when he walks into courtroom where everyone is white besides him, he is convinced the judgment has already been entered against him. They aren't imagining things. There are many communities in America where the cards are stacked against minorities before the case is called. They are relieved when they walk in and see a member of their race sitting on the bench."
His Passion for Chess
As a young boy in New Bedford, he took up chess at a informal boy's club run by Mary Hayden. "She had a 'burden' to help underprivileged kids," he recalled in a 1987, local cable TV interview with host Jack Custodio. Over the years, Mr. Leighton has made a number of gifts in her memory to the United States Chess Federation. "No one has ever given me a greater gift than she did," he said.
Judge Leighton was active in the Chicago chess circuit when time allowed him to do so. I personally remember playing with Judge Leighton in tournaments around the city and also remember him playing the Colle System with white. For many years, Judge Leighton seem to hover around in Class "A," but appeared to get stronger after his retirement. His rating reached into the high 2000s and he maintained his "Expert" rating for a short while.
He was particularly proud of beating FM Leonid Kaushansky in a classical tournament game sometime in the 80s. FM Kaushansky, a Russian émigré, was terrorizing Chicago chess in those days by winning every tournament in sight. However, on this particular day, Leighton had his number. That game was actually published in both the Illinois Chess Bulletin and U.S. Chess Life magazines. In his retirement, he continued to spend some time playing at Chicago public schools, but his last tournament activity was in 2002.
The Honorable George Neves (Leitao) Leighton
Judge George Leighton in 1999.
(Photo by SouthCoastToday.com)
Life Secrets
In a 1999 interview, Judge Leighton credits his longevity to good genes and a healthy lifestyle. "I never smoked, I don't drink alcoholic or carbonated beverages, and I eat two meals a day."
Sources
Just the Beginning Foundation, "From Slavery to the Supreme Court: The African-American Journey Through the Federal Courts," Profile: Judge George Leighton.
Robert Lovinger, "A Just Life," New Standard, 13 June 1999.
Jodi Cohen, "Courts could lose trust, confidence of minorities," The Detroit News, 16 June 2003."
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LTC Stephen F. - Col, Thanks for sharing this great article on Judge George Leighton.
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