William T. Green (abt. 1859 - 1911)

Born about 1859 in Niagara Falls, Welland, Canada West

Died 3 Dec 1911 at about age 52 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

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Biography

William Green is Notable.

William was born near Niagara Falls, Canada, in 1859^[1] or in May 1860.^[2]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quote:^[3]

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, William T. Green was (one of the first) Black graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1892. At the time of his death in 1911, he was the only Black lawyer in Milwaukee and the only African American member of the Wisconsin Bar Association. In the landmark case Howard v. Litt, he became the first Black attorney to argue (and win) a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The case led to the creation of the Wisconsin Civil Rights Act of 1895, which made racial discrimination in public facilities illegal. However, the law was never really enforced by prominent white leaders.

(Note: Wikipedia reports that he was not provably the first Black graduate of UW-LS, so the text above has been amended accordingly.)

In the 1900 census William (age 40), Lawyer, was the single roomer of George J Wheeler in Milwaukee Ward 4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.^[2]

He died in 1911.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8468808/william-t-green : accessed 24 June 2022), memorial page for William T. Green (1859–1911), Find A Grave: Memorial #8468808, citing Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA ; Maintained by David M. Habben (contributor 835) .
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} 1900 Census: "1900 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1900; Census Place: Milwaukee Ward 4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 1801; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0029; FHL microfilm: 1241801
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7602 #63664967 (accessed 24 June 2022)
   William T Green (40), single roomer, Lawyer, in household of George J Wheeler (45) in Milwaukee Ward 4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born in Canada.
3. ↑ MJS 9 Feb 2021 "12 prominent Black people from Wisconsin history that you should know about"

• Wikipedia contributors, "William T. Green," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_T._Green&oldid=1083023994 (accessed June 24, 2022).

See Also:

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org), entry for this profile (PID https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GXJG-RCK); contributed by various users.