FSP Research: Publications

Horace T. Ward: Desegregation of the University of Georgia, Civil Rights Advocacy, and Jurisprudence

Horace T. Ward Book Horace T. Ward: Desegregation of the University of Georgia, Civil Rights Advocacy, and Jurisprudence tells the inspiring story of an African American man with a dream courageously pursued through years of adversity. In 1950, Horace T. Ward became the first African American to sue for admission to an all-white college or university in Georgia. His long, difficult struggle to enter the University of Georgia School of Law, though unsuccessful, played a pivotal role in the desegregation of the University a decade later. Though university officials deemed that he did not have the mind to be a lawyer, Ward went on to a precedent-setting career as a civil rights litigator, state senator, and judge, becoming the first African American state civil court, superior court, and federal district court judge in the state of Georgia.

Horace T. Ward not only chronicles Ward’s struggle and achievements but also contextualizes them within the history of desegregation and civil rights. It recounts the formative role of the NAACP and the perseverance and courage of the African American students and lawyers who challenged segregation. In recounting Ward’s story in its historical context, the book brings together an array of archival materials, collections of personal papers, court records, and news coverage, along with a wealth of personal interviews. The book presents an original and definitive history of a crucial epoch in the struggle for desegregation and civil rights.

Praise for Horace T. Ward

Ward is indeed an unrecognized trailblazer. This book places him firmly and properly in a constellation of accomplished advocates for equality who conquered Georgia’s apartheid system in the courtroom. The book is a must-read for scholars and the general public--for anyone who wants to know more about the struggle for civil rights. – Julian Bond

The book tells a fascination story that illuminates one of the great struggles of democracy in Georgia. There is something very important here for understanding today’s continuing struggles against barriers to opportunity, at the same time that tribute is paid to a truly great Georgian, Judge Ward. This is robust history at its very best. – Asa G. Hilliard, III

A clear, concise, authentic account . . . drawing on an impressive amount of archival data, court records, and first-person accounts, Daniels provides a compelling narrative of Horace T. Ward’s life and work and the long, hard struggle to desegregate the University of Georgia. The book should be valuable to scholars in disciplines such as law, history, social work, and education as well as to general readers. – Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.

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