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In 1941, the following individuals met to organize the Old Dominion Bar Association: J. Thomas Hewin, Sr., Roland D. Ealey, James T. Carter, Fredric Charles Carter, J. Byron Hopkins and Oliver W. Hill of Richmond; W. S. Duiguid of Lynchburg; Martin A. Martin of Danville; Robert H. Cooley of Petersburg; Thomas W. Young and J. Eugene Diggs of Norfolk; James Raby of Alexandria; L. Marian Poe of Newport News.
In March 1942, Oliver W. Hill sent a formal notice to the Negro lawyers in Virginia announcing an organizational meeting in Richmond on April 12, 1942. Twenty-five attorneys attended the meeting, named the organization the Old Dominion Bar Association and elected officers: Oliver W. Hill, President; L. Marian Poe, Secretary; Martin A. Martin, Vice-President; James M. Morris (of Staunton), Treasurer.
Like the rest of the country, the Old Dominion Bar Association was affected by the war in 1943, and several ODBA members, including its President, Oliver Hill, joined the military. R. H. Cooley, Jr. ably assumed the role of Acting President and, along with L. Marian Poe, organized the next annual meeting, which was held in July 1944 in Newport News.
As of July 1944, there were sixty-one active members; four of whom were in the active duty Army, and three in Washington, D.C. The remainder of the membership was spread across the state in Norfolk, Richmond, Newport News, Alexandria, Portsmouth, Danville, Lynchburg, Hampton, and one each in Cape Charles, Gloucester, Manassas, Martinsville, Petersburg, Staunton and Suffolk.
James H. Raby organized the next Annual Meeting, which was held in Alexandria on September 1-2, 1945. The Executive Board of the ODBA was elected at that meeting: R. H. Cooley, Jr., President; James H. Raby; First Vice President; William J. Kemp, Second Vice President, L. Marian Poe, Secretary; James M.
Morris, Treasurer; T. C. Walker; Inez Fields Scott; and C.A. McKenzie.
The next Annual Meeting, organized by Bertha L. Douglas, was held in Norfolk on September 21, 1946. Thirty-six persons attended, and the keynote speaker was The Honorable Armond W. Scott, Judge, District of Columbia Municipal Court. President Cooley welcomed back the ODBA members who had returned from the War: Oliver W. Hill, Roland Ealey, “Sam” Wilbur Tucker, Raymond J. Valentine, and Victor Ashe.
Richmond, Virginia was the site of the September 1947 Annual Meeting. At this meeting, the ODBA membership decided to use the organization’s strength and prestige to influence the appointment of judges in whom members of the Association had confidence.
As the membership of the Old Dominion Bar Association began to grow, the decision was made for there to be individual chapters. We became the Richmond Chapter of the Old Dominion Bar Association, providing services and association opportunities for African-American lawyers in the Greater Richmond area and neighboring counties.
Over the past sixty years, members have diligently and successfully worked to ensure the appointment of African-American lawyers to judgeships around the state.
In August 2009, the name was changed to the Hill Tucker Bar Association. While the name may have changed, the purpose and drive of the organization remains the same: An unwavering committment to ensure equal justice for all persons in our beloved Commonwealth through promoting collegiality and excellence in the Bar.
In March 1942, Oliver W. Hill sent a formal notice to the Negro lawyers in Virginia announcing an organizational meeting in Richmond on April 12, 1942. Twenty-five attorneys attended the meeting, named the organization the Old Dominion Bar Association and elected officers: Oliver W. Hill, President; L. Marian Poe, Secretary; Martin A. Martin, Vice-President; James M. Morris (of Staunton), Treasurer.
Like the rest of the country, the Old Dominion Bar Association was affected by the war in 1943, and several ODBA members, including its President, Oliver Hill, joined the military. R. H. Cooley, Jr. ably assumed the role of Acting President and, along with L. Marian Poe, organized the next annual meeting, which was held in July 1944 in Newport News.
As of July 1944, there were sixty-one active members; four of whom were in the active duty Army, and three in Washington, D.C. The remainder of the membership was spread across the state in Norfolk, Richmond, Newport News, Alexandria, Portsmouth, Danville, Lynchburg, Hampton, and one each in Cape Charles, Gloucester, Manassas, Martinsville, Petersburg, Staunton and Suffolk.
James H. Raby organized the next Annual Meeting, which was held in Alexandria on September 1-2, 1945. The Executive Board of the ODBA was elected at that meeting: R. H. Cooley, Jr., President; James H. Raby; First Vice President; William J. Kemp, Second Vice President, L. Marian Poe, Secretary; James M.
Morris, Treasurer; T. C. Walker; Inez Fields Scott; and C.A. McKenzie.
The next Annual Meeting, organized by Bertha L. Douglas, was held in Norfolk on September 21, 1946. Thirty-six persons attended, and the keynote speaker was The Honorable Armond W. Scott, Judge, District of Columbia Municipal Court. President Cooley welcomed back the ODBA members who had returned from the War: Oliver W. Hill, Roland Ealey, “Sam” Wilbur Tucker, Raymond J. Valentine, and Victor Ashe.
Richmond, Virginia was the site of the September 1947 Annual Meeting. At this meeting, the ODBA membership decided to use the organization’s strength and prestige to influence the appointment of judges in whom members of the Association had confidence.
As the membership of the Old Dominion Bar Association began to grow, the decision was made for there to be individual chapters. We became the Richmond Chapter of the Old Dominion Bar Association, providing services and association opportunities for African-American lawyers in the Greater Richmond area and neighboring counties.
Over the past sixty years, members have diligently and successfully worked to ensure the appointment of African-American lawyers to judgeships around the state.
In August 2009, the name was changed to the Hill Tucker Bar Association. While the name may have changed, the purpose and drive of the organization remains the same: An unwavering committment to ensure equal justice for all persons in our beloved Commonwealth through promoting collegiality and excellence in the Bar.
