Matthew J. Perry
| Matthew J. Perry, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina | |
|
In office September 20, 1979 – October 1, 1995 |
|
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | None (seat created) |
| Succeeded by | Patrick M. Duffy |
| Judge of the United States Court of Military Appeals | |
|
In office February 18, 1976 – September 20, 1979 |
|
| Appointed by | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Robert E. Quinn |
| Succeeded by | Robinson O. Everett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 3, 1921 Columbia, South Carolina |
| Died | July 29, 2011 (aged 89) Columbia, South Carolina |
| Spouse(s) | Hallie Bacote |
| Alma mater | South Carolina State College |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Matthew James Perry, Jr. (August 3, 1921 – July 29, 2011) was an attorney and in 1979 appointed as the first African-American United States federal judge in South Carolina. In 1976 he had been the first African-American attorney from the Deep South to be appointed to the federal judiciary, which he served in the Military Appeals Court.
He established his career with civil rights litigation, defending Gloria Blackwell in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in her 1962 suit against her arrest for sitting in the whites-only area of the regional hospital while waiting for emergency treatment for her daughter. Other landmark cases included achieving the integration of Clemson University and reapportionment of the state legislature.
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Perry attended local segregated schools and started college studying business. He served during World War II in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946. He finished college after the war, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from South Carolina State College in 1948. He went on to earn a law degree (LL.B.) from South Carolina State College in 1951. He was in private practice in Spartanburg, South Carolina from 1951 to 1961.
Moving to the state capital of Columbia, South Carolina, Perry was in private practice from 1961 to 1976. He built his reputation as a civil rights attorney in the 1960s. When finishing his undergraduate degree after WWII, Perry concluded that he needed to learn and practice law, due to "a growing awareness of racial injustices, many of them manifested by state laws.”
He gained notoriety by representing Gloria Blackwell, an African-American teacher in Orangeburg, South Carolina, who was arrested with her daughter Lurma Rackley for sitting in a “whites only” waiting room while awaiting emergency treatment for the girl. Perry insisted that he be allowed to build the case around racial discrimination. He was charged with contempt and briefly jailed for making what the court deemed to be “remarks disrespectful to the court.” The case against Blackwell was eventually dismissed by the court, and the hospital was integrated thanks in part to Perry's efforts.
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