Can you make Difference with a Law Degree?
Leroy Johnson was the first African American to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly. He served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was in the line of succession to the Governor's office. His accomplishments include securing a boxing license for Muhammad Ali, while Lester Maddox was Governor, paving the way for Ali's first comeback.
Senator Johnson was a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta in 1973. Although he was not elected, the manner in which he was treated by the other candidates was a sign of the esteem in which he was held. One such candidate, Maynard Jackson, frequently declared that Atlanta needed Leroy Johnson – in the Senate.
I met first met Senator Johnson as a young lawyer when I was walking to the courthouse and Senator Johnson was returning from the courthouse. We spoke, and I told him of my work as one of the very few African Americans then practicing with a major Atlanta law firm. I knew that Senator Johnson was impressed when he asked: “And when did you finish Morehouse?”
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