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 family’s 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 growing reform movement within the party; and
WHEREAS, In 1951, Alexander was elected to Philadelphia City Council in the first election under the new Home Rule Charter, and became the first African American to represent the 5th District, serving two terms from 1952 to 1959; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, Alexander challenged the party preferred candidate for a seat in the United States House of Representatives and used this challenge to secure party support for judicial appointment. In January 1959, Governor George M. Leader appointed Alexander to fill a vacancy on the Court of Common Pleas. Later that year, Alexander was elected to a full ten-year term, making him the first African American judge elected to the court, after being the first appointed, in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, During his first year on the bench, Judge Alexander established the Spiritual Rehabilitation Program, an alternative program that sought to address the needs of first-time offenders. His innovative approach to rehabilitation garnered national attention; and
WHEREAS, Judge Raymond Pace Alexander continued to serve on the bench until reaching the mandatory judicial retirement age, after which he remained active as a senior judge until his passing on November 24, 1974; and
WHEREAS, This legislative body is grateful for the work of the Honorable Raymond Pace Alexander and his contributions to the City of Philadelphia, and is proud to honor his legacy on his Judicial Portrait Rededication Ceremony; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby recognizes
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.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this Resolution be presented at his rededication ceremony as evidence of the sincere respect of this legislative body.
End