1896 – 1986 · Zanesville → Cleveland
Perry Brooks Jackson Ohio’s first Black judge
Born the year the Supreme Court approved “separate but equal,” he spent 44 years on the bench and in public life in Cleveland and lived to see that doctrine struck down.
“Man is my brother no matter what his race, faith, culture or nationality background.”Judge Perry B. Jackson
- 1928
Elected to the Ohio General Assembly. Led adoption of voter registration forms with no reference to race or color.
- 1934–41
First Black lawyer in Cleveland’s police prosecutor’s office, rising to chief police prosecutor.
- 1942
Appointed to the Cleveland Municipal Court. The first Black judge in Ohio.
- 1945
Won election to the same court and was returned by voters in 1951 and 1957.
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Start anywhere in his story
His Life
From Zanesville to the bench, and every year in between, set beside the Supreme Court rulings of his time.
Read → 1935The Hollenden Case
Refused lunch at a bar association meeting, he took a downtown hotel to court and won.
Read → Justice CenterThe Statue
Sculpted by his niece and funded in part by a climb up Kilimanjaro. Here is how to see it.
Visit → Those who followedLegacy
The judges who came after him, and the honors that keep his name in front of the public.
Read → Grades 8–12For Educators
A free 45-minute lesson, discussion questions, vocabulary and a field-trip plan.
Teach → Primary sourcesArchive
His papers, photographs and the records researchers use, plus where the sources disagree.
Search →Carry it forward