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Recognizing the late Judge Raymond Pace Alexander, former Councilmember of the Fifth Councilmanic District, the first African American Philadelphia City Councilmember, and the first African American judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania, on the occasion of his Judicial Portrait Rededication Ceremony.
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WHEREAS, Raymond Pace Alexander was born in Philadelphia on October 13, 1897, to a working-class family, and would go on to become a civil rights attorney, public servant, and judge whose career helped break racial barriers; and
WHEREAS, Alexander attended Central High School before enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania on a merit scholarship, becoming the first Black graduate of the Wharton School of Business in 1920. He subsequently attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1923, and married Sadie Tanner Mossell, who would become the first Black woman to earn a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and practice law in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Harvard Law School and passing the Pennsylvania bar exam, Alexander was unable to obtain employment at any large law firm due to discriminatory practices in Big Law. This discrimination led him to establish his own law firm and devote much of his practice to African American clients and challenging racial discrimination; and
WHEREAS, His career rose to prominence through his involvement with the Berwyn School Fight, in which Black families challenged efforts to create a racially segregated school. Alexander represented these families pro bono and fought to protect the educational rights of Black children; and
WHEREAS, His civil rights advocacy led him into public service, and in 1933, he ran for a seat on the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia as a Republican, believing the party offered the strongest support for advancing African American representation in the city. After an unsuccessful run, he joined the Democratic Party and became active in the growi...
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