George Royster Greene, Sr.
The Honorable George R. Greene
Oct. 5, 1930 – March 17, 2013
Judge George Royster Greene, Sr., was born in Nashville, North Carolina to the late Dr. W. L. Greene and Georgia Royster Greene, on October 5, 1930. He was one of three sons. He transitioned into Heaven on Sunday, March 17, 2013, at his dearly beloved First Baptist Church.
Judge Greene graduated from Mary Potter Academy in Oxford, North Carolina, before matriculating at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he received his degree in 1952.
After enrolling in Law School at North Carolina College in Durham (now North Carolina Central University), he transferred to the University of North Carolina Law School in Chapel Hill.
Law school was interrupted as he was drafted into the Army and served his country during the Korean Conflict.
Judge Greene earned a place on the Third Army Rifle Team and displayed his marksmanship at various competitions before his discharge in 1956.
He returned to UNC to receive the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1957 and also passed the North Carolina State Bar in August of that same year.
On June 29, 1957 he married his sweetheart, Ruby Powell. Their union was blessed with one son and three daughters.
Judge Greene began his law practice in Raleigh, North Carolina in October of 1957. Segregation was alive and well, so he immersed himself in civil rights litigation. He successfully represented a Black plumber in a suit against the City of Raleigh, which led to Black plumbers being allowed to bid on and receive city contracts.
Other highlights of his legal career include:
Representation of students from Shaw University and St. Augustine¡¦s College for lunch counter sit-ins during the 1960¡¦s
Attorney for the NAACP in Raleigh and Wake County, who successfully, along with other dedicated attorneys throughout the south, litigated the segregation issue to a favorable conclusion in the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
Chairman of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee.
Attorney for the Raleigh Interchurch Housing Corporation which successfully put together the first 221D3 Low Income Housing Project toe be accepted by the Depart of Health, Education and Welfare in North Carolina; Rich Park in the Method Community is the result of that effort.
When the District Court system was instituted there were five seats available in Wake County. Judge Greene ran for one of those seats, and out of a field of twenty candidates he came in sixth.
Later, when the sixth seat was added, he said that seat had his name on it, so he ran for election again. After a grueling run-off election, he became the Democratic nominee.
Another grueling race with a Republican opponent ensued, and in the November election he was victorious! He was re-elected three times and served on the District Court for 14 years, 1974-1988. He was elected to Superior Court in 1988 and served six years, 1989-1995.
He enjoyed service in numerous professional organizations, including the Wake County, North Carolina, and American Bar Associations; Southeastern Lawyers Association; the Superior Court Judges Association of North Carolina;
years.
His civic activities included membership in the North Carolina Advisory Council Small Business Administration; Legislative Advisory Committee for the City of Raleigh; North Carolina State Employees Association; Board of Com-missioners of the Raleigh Housing Authority; former District Chairman of the Wacanotka District of the Boy Scouts of America; life member of the NAACP. His civil rights activities were strengthened through his memberships in the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, and he was a Charter Member of the Meadowbrook Country Club, one of the first country clubs for African Ameri-cans in the United States. Fraternally, Judge Greene was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated. He was a former member of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Shaw University.
Because of his groundbreaking work in civil rights and politics, Judge Greene received many honors and awards:
- Man of the Year, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, 1974
- Citizen of the Year, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, 1983
- Man of the Year, Knights of Columbus, 1987
- News and Observer ¡§Tar Heel of the Week¡¨ January 8, 1989
- Shaw University Career Service Award, 1992,
-For being a role model alumnus and distinguished resident Superior Court Judge , for seasoning justice with compassion through judicial wisdom, legal expertise, and moral integrity; and arousing the admiration of colleagues in the Law, and the respect of people who crave truth in action.
- Induction into the Raleigh Hall of Fame, 2011
Judge Greene loved people and never met a stranger. He had a unique ability to relate to all people. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, bowling, and an occasional game of billiards. He excelled in all of these activities, and made many friends.
Sourced from Find A Grave
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As a leading civil rights attorney, effective community activist, church leader, and wise jurist, George R. Greene is celebrated as the first African American elected to serve on the Wake County Court bench.
George Greene was born in Nashville, NC, the son of educators. He moved to Raleigh when his father was appointed as executive director of the NC Teachers Association.
A graduate of Shaw University, Greene studied law at NC College in Durham (now NC Central University), before transferring to the University of North Carolina School of Law. He served in the US Army during the Korean War, and returned to UNC to graduate as the only African American in his class. He then set out to change the world, first through groundbreaking civil rights litigation.
As the attorney for student activists from Shaw University and St. Augustine’s College during the lunch counter sit-ins, Greene played a role in the integration of eating establishments. His representation of a black plumber against the City of Raleigh led to the tradesman being able to bid on and receive city contracts, setting new precedents for minority access to government business.
As attorney of record for the Raleigh Inter-Church Housing Corporation, he was instrumental in establishing Method community’s Rich Park, the first low-income housing project accepted by North Carolina’s Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In the face of deplorable conditions at Chavis Park pool, he led in the integration of the Pullen Park pool.
In 1974, Greene won a hard fought race to become the first African American elected to serve on the Wake County District Court. He served with distinction for fourteen years on the District Court, and for six years on the Superior Court bench.
Greene served his profession and the community as an energetic volunteer, providing leadership to several Bar Associations, the Commissioners of Raleigh Housing Authority, the Legislative Advisory Committee for the City of Raleigh, and the Board of Trustees of First Baptist Church. He also devoted his time and talents to Shaw University, Boy Scouts, the NAACP, Mechanics and Farmers Bank, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, and Meadowbrook Country Club.
Greene has received numerous awards for his achievements, including Man of the Year from both Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the Knights of Columbus, Citizen of the Year from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Harvey E. Beech Award from the University of North Carolina, and the William Brower Award from the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Democratic Caucus. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus by Shaw University, and Tar Heel of the Week by the Raleigh News & Observer. Greene was honored for 50 years in the legal profession as an original member of the Golden Rams Society by the UNC Black Alumni Reunion Committee, and by the Wake and North Carolina Bar Associations.
Throughout his life, Judge Greene has worked effectively to defeat discrimination and strengthen the fabric of the Raleigh community. After more than half a century of legal and community leadership, Judge Greene is still changing the world for the better.
Sourced from: Raleigh Hall of Fame, Inc.