William Coleman, Civil Rights Attorney Who Broke Racial Barriers, Dies

by Dramelin 6:30 PM 0 comments

In this Jan.
18, 1977, file photo, then-Secretary of Transportation William T.
Coleman, Jr.
, speaks at a news conference in Washington.
Coleman showed an early interest in both civil rights and the law.
He specialized in corporate issues but retained his interest in civil rights matters.
Coleman specialized in corporate, antitrust and transportation issues, while continuing to work on civil rights cases.
WASHINGTON ? William T.
Coleman Jr.
, a civil rights lawyer from Philadelphia who prevailed in several landmark Supreme Court cases, broke a number of racial barriers in his own right and was the second African-American to lead a Cabinet-level department, has died.