Howard University Names Law Library in Honor of Civil Rights Activist Vernon Jordan

From Howard University:

Today the Howard University Board of Trustees announces its unanimous decision, upon the recommendation of President Wayne A. I. Frederick, to name the Law School Library as the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Law Library in honor of the proud and devoted Howard alumnus and Civil Rights icon.

“Vernon Jordan’s life embodied Howard’s motto of truth and service from his early beginnings as a lawyer to his work in the civil rights movement and later as an advisor to Presidents Reagan, Bush, Carter and most prominently as a friend and advisor to President Bill Clinton,” said President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Mr. Jordan is the kind of person who never met a stranger and who enjoyed mentoring students to help them succeed. He often told a story about spending his summers in college working as a chauffeur for Mr. Robert Maddox, a former Mayor and retired banker in Atlanta, GA, who owned a vast home library. Mr. Jordan spent his down time reading the books and when Maddox found out, he was shocked and begrudgingly gave him permission to continue reading. One night at the dinner table, Maddox proclaimed to his family, ‘Vernon can read!’ Mr. Jordan never forgot that experience and it became a pivotal moment in his vast narrative of triumph over controversy. Therefore, it is most fitting that we name one of Howard’s libraries in his honor.”

Mr. Jordan was senior managing director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in New York, where he worked with a diverse group of clients across a broad range of industries. Prior to joining Lazard, he was a senior executive partner with the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he served as senior counsel. While there, he practiced general, corporate, legislative and international law in Washington, D.C and New York.

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

See Also: Vernon Jordan, Civil Rights Leader and D.C. Power Broker, Dies at 85 (via NY Times; March 2, 2021)

See Also: Law Library Website

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