Perry Brooks Jackson

Judge Perry Brooks Jackson graduated magna cum lade from Adelbert College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, an honorary scholarship society. In 1922, he received his LL. B from Western Reserve University Law School. He served as editor of The Cleveland Call (Call & Post) from 1923-1927. Judge Jackson was elected to Ohio Legislature in 1928 and served as a member of the Cleveland City Council. In August 1942, he was appointed municipal judge by the governor and was subsequently re-elected for two successive terms, becoming the first African-American to be elected to a judgeship in Ohio. He became a Common Pleas judge and retired from the bench in 1973 at the age of 77. He continued to serve as visiting and arbitrator until his death in 1986.