Howard Carwile
Encyclopedia
Howard Hearnes Carwile was an American
lawyer and politician.
, Virginia
, to parents Willis Early Carwile
(May 6, 1873 - May 10, 1950)
and Allie Taylor (July 2, 1887 - November 23, 1968), they were tenant tobacco
farmers. Howard was one of 13 children. He married Violet Virginia Talley (January 28, 1918 – October 21, 1994), daughter of John C. Talley (May 8, 1882 - ?) and Virginia Magnetta Cullingsworth (March 27, 1895 - Feb. 1986).
Howard and Violet had one son, Howard H. Carwile, Jr., and one grandchild, Taylor Lane Carwile.
Both Howard and Violet died in Richmond, Virginia
. He is the great-great-grandson of Jacob Carwile, an American Revolutionary War
soldier.
in his early years, a machine of Conservative Democrat
s led by Harry Flood Byrd which dominated Virginia's politics from the 1920s until the mid 1960s.
Carwile represented many black
clients as a trial lawyer in the 1940s through 1960s in Richmond. He was an ever-vigilant watchdog over the Richmond Police Department and champion for reform of Virginia's prisons and a general political gadfly. A collection of his papers is housed in the Special Collections and Archives section of the library of Virginia Commonwealth University
.
Served on Virginia House committees:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and politician.
Family
Howard Carwile was born in Charlotte CountyCharlotte County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,472 people, 4,951 households, and 3,435 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 5,734 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, to parents Willis Early Carwile
(May 6, 1873 - May 10, 1950)
and Allie Taylor (July 2, 1887 - November 23, 1968), they were tenant tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
farmers. Howard was one of 13 children. He married Violet Virginia Talley (January 28, 1918 – October 21, 1994), daughter of John C. Talley (May 8, 1882 - ?) and Virginia Magnetta Cullingsworth (March 27, 1895 - Feb. 1986).
Howard and Violet had one son, Howard H. Carwile, Jr., and one grandchild, Taylor Lane Carwile.
Both Howard and Violet died in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. He is the great-great-grandson of Jacob Carwile, an American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
soldier.
Education
- Graduate of Alma White CollegeAlma White CollegeAlma White College was a Bible college in Zarephath, New Jersey from 1921 to 1978. It was an institution of the Pillar of Fire Church.-History:...
, Zarepheth, N.J. - Graduate of Southeastern UniversitySoutheastern UniversityLocated in southwestern Washington, D.C., in the United States, Southeastern University was a private, non-profit undergraduate and graduate institution of higher education that lost its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education on August 31, 2009. The Commission reported...
Law School, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Background
Howard Carwile was known as a fiery, passionate trial attorney in Richmond, Virginia. He opposed the Byrd OrganizationByrd Organization
The Byrd Organization was a political machine led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. that dominated Virginia politics for much of the middle portion of the 20th century...
in his early years, a machine of Conservative Democrat
Conservative Democrat
In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a Democratic Party member with conservative political views, or with views relatively conservative with respect to those of the national party...
s led by Harry Flood Byrd which dominated Virginia's politics from the 1920s until the mid 1960s.
Carwile represented many black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
clients as a trial lawyer in the 1940s through 1960s in Richmond. He was an ever-vigilant watchdog over the Richmond Police Department and champion for reform of Virginia's prisons and a general political gadfly. A collection of his papers is housed in the Special Collections and Archives section of the library of Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
.
- Ran as Independent for Governor of VirginiaGovernor of VirginiaThe governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
in 1945 against DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
William M. TuckWilliam M. TuckWilliam Munford Tuck served as the 55th Governor of Virginia from 1946 to 1950 as a Democrat.He was the youngest son of Halifax County, Virginia tobacco warehouseman Robert James Tuck and Virginia Susan Fritts. Tuck graduated from the College of William and Mary, earning a teacher's certificate....
and Independent S. Lloyd Landreth. - Ran as Independent for Virginia U.S. Senator in 1948 against Democrat Absalom Willis RobertsonAbsalom Willis RobertsonAbsalom Willis Robertson was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Lexington, Virginia. Also known as A. Willis Robertson, he represented Virginia in both the U.S...
, RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Robert H. Woods, ProgressiveProgressive Party (United States, 1948)The United States Progressive Party of 1948 was a left-wing political party that ran former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for president and U.S. Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho for vice president in 1948.-Foundation:...
Virginia Foster DurrVirginia Foster Durrhttp://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1574Virginia Foster Durr was an American and a white civil rights activist and lobbyist...
and Socialist Clarke T. Robbe - Ran as Independent for Governor of Virginia in 1953 against Democrat Thomas Bahnson StanleyThomas Bahnson StanleyThomas Bahnson Stanley was an American politician, manufacturer and Holstein cattle breeder.-Early life:...
and Republican Theodore Roosevelt DaltonTheodore Roosevelt DaltonTheodore Roosevelt Dalton American lawyer,judge and politician known as "Ted" and as Virginia's "Mr. Republican".- Family :... - Ran as Democrat for Governor of Virginia in 1957 primary against J. Lindsay Almond, Jr. labeling himself a "Jacksonian Democrat". He campaigned for "peaceful compliance with the Supreme Court decision on integration", "preservation of Virginia's free public school system" and poll taxPoll taxA poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
removal. - Ran unsuccessfully as Independent for Virginia's 3rd congressional districtVirginia's 3rd congressional districtVirginia's third congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It covers all of the City of Portsmouth, parts of the Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Richmond, all of the counties of Charles City, New Kent, and Surry, and part of the...
of U.S. House in 1980 against Republican Thomas J. Bliley, Jr.Thomas J. Bliley, Jr.Thomas Jerome "Tom" Bliley, Jr. is a United States Republican politician and former U.S. Representative from the state of Virginia.-Background:...
, Democrat John Aydelotte Mapp (April 20, 1913 – August 17, 2002) and Independent James B. Turney - Known for his colorful rhetoric in public, such as calling a city-hall boondoggle he disliked a "horrendous heap of hokum" and his campaign style, including an automobile completely covered in Carwile bumper-stickers.
- Appreciated by Richmonders for his verbal theatrics, and in the 1970s it was not uncommon to hear someone say he or she was "shocked and appalled", a frequent Carwile exclamation.
Government offices held
- Richmond City Councilman - 1966 - resigned 1973
- Virginia House of DelegatesVirginia House of DelegatesThe Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
– 35th District, Henrico County, VirginiaHenrico County, VirginiaHenrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, 1974-5, defeated for re-election by Gerald L. BalilesGerald L. BalilesGerald L. Baliles was the 65th Governor of Virginia and is the director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia...
1975
Served on Virginia House committees:
- Health, Welfare & Institutions
- Militia and Police
Memberships
- Association of Trial Lawyers of AmericaAssociation of Trial Lawyers of AmericaThe American Association for Justice , formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America is the leading organization for lawyers representing plaintiffs in the United States...
- Richmond Trial Lawyers Association
- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
- Richmond Criminal Bar
Published and broadcast works
- Weekly columnist for the Richmond Afro-American newspaper
- Published Speaking from Byrdland, a compilation of his weekly radio programs decrying racial segregationRacial segregationRacial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
- Autobiography Carwile, His Life and Times, published June 1988 ISBN 1556180438
External links
- Time Magazine, "Bumpy Road in Richmond", 28 February 1972
- University of Virginia Television News of the Civil Rights Era 1950 - 1970