Russell Sugarmon

Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr.
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 10th district
In office 1967–1969
Personal details
Born	Russell Bertram Sugarmon Jr. (1929-05-11)May 11, 1929 Memphis, Tennessee
Died	February 18, 2019(2019-02-18) (aged 89) Memphis, Tennessee
Political party	Democrat
Spouse(s)	Miriam DeCosta (divorced) Regina Spence
Alma mater	Morehouse College Rutgers University Harvard Law School Boston University
Occupation	Attorney Judge
Military service
Branch/service	U.S. Army
Rank	Corporal
Unit	Adjutant General Corps

Russell Bertram Sugarmon Jr.[1] (May 11, 1929 – February 18, 2019) was an American politician and judge in the state of Tennessee.

Early life

Sugarmon was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Russell and Lessye Hank Sugarmon.[1] He grew up in South Memphis and attended Co-Operative Grammar School.[1]

In 1946, Sugarmon graduated from Booker T. Washington High School when he was 15 years old.[1]

Sugarman attended Morehouse College for one year. He received an A.B. in Political Science from Rutgers University in 1950. In 1953 he received a law degree Harvard Law School and attended Boston University's Graduate School of Finance.[1]

Career

He practiced as an attorney in Memphis, Tennessee in the firm Ratner, Sugarmon, Lucas, Willis and Caldwell.[2][3][4][5]

In 1959, Sugarmon ran for Public Works Commissioner, the first African-American in Memphis to run for a major city office.[6] The outgoing commissioner, Henry Loeb, forced most of the other candidates to withdraw from the election, so as not to split the white vote among several candidates. Bill Farris, the only white man remaining on the ballot, won the post.[7]

Sugarmon served in the Tennessee House of Representatives as a Democrat from the 11th District from 1967 to 1969.[8]

Personal life

From the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, he was married to the educator and activist Miriam DeCosta, with whom he had four children.[9] Their son Tarik B. Sugarmon is a Memphis City Court judge who in 2014 ran for Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court.[10] He died on February 18, 2019, aged 89.[11]

Works and publications

• Sugarmon, Russell B, and Hans-Thomas Ryan. Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr., Papers, 1959-1976: guide to the Papers. Memphis: Memphis State University, 1977. See also: Mississippi Valley Collection, Memphis State University.

See also

• Civil Rights Movement

References

1. DeCosta-Willis, Miriam (2008). Notable Black Memphians: Sugarmon, Russell Bertram, Jr. Amherst, N.Y.: Cambria Press. pp. 295–297. ISBN 9781624990939. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
2. "Hon. Russell B. Sugarmon". The History of LawMakers: The Nation's Largest African American Video Oral History Collection. HistoryMakers. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
3. "Public Collections: Russell B. Sugarmon Collection". Crossroads to Freedom. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
4. "Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr". The History of LawMakers: The Nation's Largest African American Video Oral History Collection. HistoryMakers. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
5. "The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr" (PDF). The History of LawMakers: The Nation's Largest African American Video Oral History Collection. HistoryMakers. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
6. Cohen, Hon. Steve (16 January 2014). "Congratulating Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, Jr. on Receiving the 2014 Be the Dream MLK Legacy Award -- Hon. Steve Cohen (Extensions of Remarks - January 16, 2014)". Congressional Record 113th Congress (2013-2014). Library of Congress. p. E84. Retrieved 6 May 2014.^[permanent dead link‍]
7. Honey, Michael K. (2007). Going Down Jericho Road : the Memphis strike, Martin Luther King's last campaign (1. ed.). New York [u.a.]: Norton. pp. 30–32. ISBN 9780393043396. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
8. "Tennessee House Representative 85th General Assembly: R.B. Sugarmon, Jr". House Archives 1870 to Present. Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
9. "Miriam DeCosta-Willis (1934-2021)". Memphis Public Libraries. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
10. Dries, Bill (24 March 2014). "Sugarmon Opens Campaign for Juvenile Court Judge". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
11. Bardos, Istvan (2019-02-18). "Judge Russell B. Sugarmon Passes Away At The Age Of 89". LOCALMEMPHIS. Retrieved 2019-02-20.