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Boce W. Barlow Jr.
American, 1915 - 2005
BiographyBoce William Barlow Jr. was sworn in as Connecticut's first Black judge in 1957 and was the first Black man to be elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1966.
Barlow was born on 8 August 1915 in Americus, Georgia. He was the son of Boce W. Barlow Sr. and Ethel Maddox Barlow. Shortly, after Boce Jr.'s birth, the family moved to Hartford, Connecticut. He attended the Arsenal School and graduated from Hartford Public High School in 1933. He attended Howard University. He served in the South Pacific Theater during World War II. He then enrolled at Harvard University Law School from which he graduated with a doctorate in juris prudence. He passed the Connecticut Bar exam in 1949.
Barlow faced discrimination when applying for positions at law firms. He opened his own practice sharing an office with William D. Graham. In 1967, he formed the practice of Barlow & Lewis in partnership with Attorney Paul Lewis. Attorney Barlow served as a hearing examiner for the State Civil Rights Commission from 1955-1957 and as prosecutor for the Hartford Municipal Court from 1957-1960. He was the first African-American appointed to sit as judge in the Municipal Courts. When he was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1966, he became the first African-American to serve in the Connecticut State legislature
In 1981, as a result of a medical mishap precipitated by surgery, Attorney Barlow became an incomplete quadriplegic. It took three years of intense physical rehabilitation for him to return to public involvement. Given the inaccessible design of court houses and other government buildings at the time Attorney Barlow was no longer able to continue his practice as a trial attorney. In 1985, Attorney Barlow retired from the practice of law.
In 2000, Barlow and his wife, Catherine Swanson Barlow moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. He died on 31 January 2005 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Source: BARLOW, HONORABLE BOCE W. JR.: [STATEWIDE EDITION]. (2005, Feb 03). Hartford Courant Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/barlow-honorable-boce-w-jr/docview/256825141/se-2
Barlow was born on 8 August 1915 in Americus, Georgia. He was the son of Boce W. Barlow Sr. and Ethel Maddox Barlow. Shortly, after Boce Jr.'s birth, the family moved to Hartford, Connecticut. He attended the Arsenal School and graduated from Hartford Public High School in 1933. He attended Howard University. He served in the South Pacific Theater during World War II. He then enrolled at Harvard University Law School from which he graduated with a doctorate in juris prudence. He passed the Connecticut Bar exam in 1949.
Barlow faced discrimination when applying for positions at law firms. He opened his own practice sharing an office with William D. Graham. In 1967, he formed the practice of Barlow & Lewis in partnership with Attorney Paul Lewis. Attorney Barlow served as a hearing examiner for the State Civil Rights Commission from 1955-1957 and as prosecutor for the Hartford Municipal Court from 1957-1960. He was the first African-American appointed to sit as judge in the Municipal Courts. When he was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1966, he became the first African-American to serve in the Connecticut State legislature
In 1981, as a result of a medical mishap precipitated by surgery, Attorney Barlow became an incomplete quadriplegic. It took three years of intense physical rehabilitation for him to return to public involvement. Given the inaccessible design of court houses and other government buildings at the time Attorney Barlow was no longer able to continue his practice as a trial attorney. In 1985, Attorney Barlow retired from the practice of law.
In 2000, Barlow and his wife, Catherine Swanson Barlow moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. He died on 31 January 2005 in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Source: BARLOW, HONORABLE BOCE W. JR.: [STATEWIDE EDITION]. (2005, Feb 03). Hartford Courant Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/barlow-honorable-boce-w-jr/docview/256825141/se-2
Person TypeIndividual
