Congressman Cohen Announces Russell B. Sugarmon Post Office Bill Becomes Law
Autumn Avenue postal facility named after civil rights leader and judge
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) is pleased to announce that his bill renaming the post office at 1325 Autumn Avenue for Judge Russell B. Sugarmon, the civil rights leader, attorney and judge, has been signed into law.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
"No one deserves this honor more than Judge Sugarmon, whose lifetime achievements include being the first African-American to run for a major city office in 1959 and the second African-American elected to the Tennessee General Assembly after Reconstruction, in 1966. Before becoming a judge in 1987, he practiced with Memphis' and the South's first integrated law firm – Ratner, Sugarmon, Lucas, Willis and Caldwell – after attending Morehouse College and Rutgers University and receiving a law degree from Harvard University. Working alongside Vasco and Maxine Smith, Jesse Turner and other NAACP leaders in the fight for racial justice and equality, Judge Sugarmon was instrumental in using the courts to desegregate public transportation, restaurants, public facilities and the Memphis public schools.
"The Russell B. Sugarmon post office on Autumn Avenue will be a lasting Memphis monument to this great man's many achievements, and I look forward to celebrating this honor with him and his many friends."