Archive
Where to find the primary sources
His papers, photographs and scrapbooks survive in Cleveland collections. These are the places researchers start.
Perry B. Jackson Papers, Series I (MS 3581)Western Reserve Historical SocietyPapers
Perry B. Jackson Papers, Series II (MS 4659)Correspondence, clippings, speeches, scrapbooks, awardsPapers
Photo galleryCleveland Public Library Digital GalleryPhotos
Swearing-in of Judge Jackson, 1942Black Trailblazers collection, Cleveland State University LibraryPhoto
Encyclopedia of Cleveland HistoryCase Western Reserve UniversityReference
Remarks by Judge Lauren Moore, 2022Cleveland Municipal Court history archiveSpeech
Black History Month at the statueCleveland Municipal Court photo storyPhotos
Perry B. JacksonWikipediaReference
Where the sources disagree
Open questions for researchers
Accounts of his life written decades apart do not always match. This site follows the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History where they conflict. Corrections with documentation are welcome.
| Question | One account | Another account |
|---|---|---|
| Hollenden damages, 1935 | $350 (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History; Judge Lauren Moore) | $300 (Judge C. Ellen Connally’s book review) |
| First countywide win | His 1928 legislative race made him the first Black candidate to win countywide in Cuyahoga County (memorial committee; Zanesville City Schools) | His 1960 Domestic Relations election was the first time a Black candidate won countywide office (Connally) |
| Municipal Court, 1942–45 | Re-elected for two successive terms after his 1942 appointment (earlier memorial site timeline) | Lost the 1943 election, then won in 1945, 1951 and 1957 (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History; Moore) |
| End of elected service | 1972, at the end of his term (Connally) | 1973, at age 77 (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History; Moore) |
Sources for this site
Works cited
- “Jackson, Perry B.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University.
- Moore, Lauren. Remarks at the Judge Perry B. Jackson statue, February 22, 2022. Cleveland Municipal Court.
- Connally, C. Ellen. “Perry B. Jackson: A Judicial Pathfinder.” Review of In the Service of Community, an Honored Elder, 2016.
- Jackson, Anita P., and Laureen B. Beach. In the Service of Community, an Honored Elder: The Honorable Judge Perry Brooks Jackson. New Concord Press.
- Cuyahoga County. Minutes accepting the donation of the Judge Perry B. Jackson statue, August 22, 2019.
- Perry B. Jackson Papers, MS 3581 and MS 4659. Western Reserve Historical Society.