093_HR0106
LRB093 03756 HSS 12075 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Noah Parden was born into conditions not
3 uncommon for African Americans in America's 19th century
4 South; he was born at Rome, Georgia on July 18, 1857, just
5 four years prior to the outbreak of the civil war; he picked
6 cotton on a Georgia plantation and was forbidden to pass
7 along his rare ability to read to other African Americans;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, He moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee at age 15,
10 where he attended high school; he studied for five years at
11 Central Tennessee College, supporting himself by working as a
12 waiter, shoeshiner, and as a barber; he became a lawyer in
13 1891; and
14 WHEREAS, Noah Parden overcame the incredible obstacles
15 confronting an African-American person at that time and
16 emerged as the first African-American attorney in St. Clair
17 County, the first African-American person to become an
18 assistant county prosecutor and assistant city prosecutor in
19 St. Clair County and East St. Louis, and the first
20 African-American to argue successfully before the U.S.
21 Supreme Court; and
22 WHEREAS, In 1906, Noah Parden argued successfully before
23 the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Ed Johnson, an
24 African-American man wrongly convicted of raping a white
25 woman; because of his efforts for Mr. Johnson, Mr. Parden's
26 life was threatened several times; and
27 WHEREAS, Mr. Parden won two hundred cases; he had often
28 been compared to Clarence Darrow, the famous criminal lawyer;
29 during his career, he was one of the best known
30 African-American lawyers in the country; he was frequently
31 called from his East St. Louis home to defend those accused
32 in criminal cases; and
-2- LRB093 03756 HSS 12075 r
1 WHEREAS, Noah Parden was a family man with varied skills
2 and interests; he and his wife were the parents of two
3 children, Frank and Lillian; he could sew, knit, and could
4 make his own clothes; he could speak several languages and
5 could converse freely on literature and art; therefore, be it
6 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8 we honor Attorney Noah Parden for his dedication and
9 commitment to the causes of justice and equality, and we
10 recognize his contributions to the citizens of Illinois and
11 the country; and be it further
12 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to the family of Noah Parden with our respect and
14 esteem for his accomplishments.