The Also-Rans
Episode 9: Jim Crow's Gentleman Lawyer (w/ Leland Ware)
In 1924, a divided Democratic Party met in Madison Square Garden to pick their presidential nominee. It took 103 ballots to arrive at John W. Davis, a talented but obscure Wall Street lawyer who had served in the Wilson administration. With the Roaring Twenties roaring, he didn't have a prayer of upsetting Calvin Coolidge. Thirty years later, he returns to the public eye to work on the legal cases that became Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. On the side favoring segregating public schools. To help us understand this dynamic, we are honored to have Prof. Leland Ware of the University of Delaware with us.
In 1924, a divided Democratic Party met in Madison Square Garden to pick their presidential nominee. It took 103 ballots to arrive at John W. Davis, a talented but obscure Wall Street lawyer who had served in the Wilson administration. With the Roaring Twenties roaring, he didn't have a prayer of upsetting Calvin Coolidge. Thirty years later, he returns to the public eye to work on the legal cases that became Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. On the side favoring segregating public schools. To help us understand this dynamic, we are honored to have Prof. Leland Ware of the University of Delaware with us.