Julian Pierce
Encyclopedia
Julian T. Pierce was a Lumbee
Indian
born in Moore County, North Carolina
.
At sixteen, Pierce graduated from Hawkeye High School. He attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke
in Pembroke, North Carolina
on full scholarship
and graduated with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Chemistry
.
After graduation
, he began working as a chemist
for the Newport News Shipbuilding
and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia
, and later worked as a chemist in the Navy Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia
. There he developed an award-winning chemical process for decontamination
of nuclear reactors.
After several years, Pierce attended law school
. He chose the North Carolina Central University
School of Law. After graduation from NCCU, in 1976, he was offered a position with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission
in Washington, D.C.
. While working, Pierce attended Georgetown School of Law
to earn his Master of Laws
in Tax
ation.
In 1978, he returned to North Carolina
to become the first director of the Lumbee River Legal Services, a poverty
law office in Pembroke. For ten years, Pierce worked at Lumbee River Legal Services to raise the standard of legal care for the poor citizens of Robeson County
. He took part in merging the tri-school board system into a one-school board system in the county so that all children would receive equal educational funding.
In 1987, Pierce, along with others petition
ed the United States Department of the Interior
for federal acknowledgment and entry to tribal rolls for the Lumbee. The petition was denied due to language in the Lumbee Act of 1956. The group then introduced a recognition bill, but it failed due to opposition from the Department of the Interior and from other recognized tribes.
In 1988, the North Carolina General Assembly
created a new Superior Court Judgeship in Robeson County
. Joe Freeman Britt, the county's district attorney, announced his candidacy first. At the time. While Pierce did not have the popularity of Britt, many people knew him from his numerous community service
roles such as when he was Chairman of the Lumbee Medical Clinic, on the board of directors of the North Carolina Legal Resource Center, or Vice-Chairman of the Robeson Health Care Corporation.
Pierce resigned from his position as director of Lumbee River
Legal Services to start a campaign to become the
first Native American superior court judge in North Carolina.
On March 26, 1988, Pierce's body was found in his home with
shotgun
wounds to his head, chest, and stomach were he had been
murder
ed. In the aftermath, Britt was automatically declared the winner of the primary election
. However, some reporters and campaign workers counted the votes and determined that Pierce actually won the vote posthumously, 10,787 to 8,231.
Lumbee
The Lumbee belong to a state recognized Native American tribe in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County and named for the primary waterway traversing the county...
Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
born in Moore County, North Carolina
Moore County, North Carolina
Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 74,769. Its county seat is Carthage.- History :The county was formed in 1784 from Cumberland County...
.
At sixteen, Pierce graduated from Hawkeye High School. He attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke , also known as UNC Pembroke, is a public, co-educational, historically American Indian liberal arts university in the town of Pembroke in Robeson County, North Carolina....
in Pembroke, North Carolina
Pembroke, North Carolina
Pembroke is a town in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,399, at the 2000 census, 89% of which is Native American...
on full scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and graduated with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
After graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
, he began working as a chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
for the Newport News Shipbuilding
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, and later worked as a chemist in the Navy Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. There he developed an award-winning chemical process for decontamination
Decontamination
Decontamination is the process of cleansing the human body to remove contamination by hazardous materials including chemicals, radioactive substances, and infectious material...
of nuclear reactors.
After several years, Pierce attended law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
. He chose the North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
School of Law. After graduation from NCCU, in 1976, he was offered a position with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Securities and Exchange Commission
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is a federal agency which holds primary responsibility for enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges, and other electronic securities markets in the United States...
in 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....
. While working, Pierce attended Georgetown School of Law
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
to earn his Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
in Tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
ation.
In 1978, he returned to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to become the first director of the Lumbee River Legal Services, a poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
law office in Pembroke. For ten years, Pierce worked at Lumbee River Legal Services to raise the standard of legal care for the poor citizens of Robeson County
Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010 it had a population of 134,168. Since then, it has been one of the 10% of United States counties that were majority-minority; its combined population of American Indian, African American and Latino residents comprise over...
. He took part in merging the tri-school board system into a one-school board system in the county so that all children would receive equal educational funding.
In 1987, Pierce, along with others petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
ed the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
for federal acknowledgment and entry to tribal rolls for the Lumbee. The petition was denied due to language in the Lumbee Act of 1956. The group then introduced a recognition bill, but it failed due to opposition from the Department of the Interior and from other recognized tribes.
In 1988, the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
created a new Superior Court Judgeship in Robeson County
Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010 it had a population of 134,168. Since then, it has been one of the 10% of United States counties that were majority-minority; its combined population of American Indian, African American and Latino residents comprise over...
. Joe Freeman Britt, the county's district attorney, announced his candidacy first. At the time. While Pierce did not have the popularity of Britt, many people knew him from his numerous community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
roles such as when he was Chairman of the Lumbee Medical Clinic, on the board of directors of the North Carolina Legal Resource Center, or Vice-Chairman of the Robeson Health Care Corporation.
Pierce resigned from his position as director of Lumbee River
Legal Services to start a campaign to become the
first Native American superior court judge in North Carolina.
On March 26, 1988, Pierce's body was found in his home with
shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
wounds to his head, chest, and stomach were he had been
murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed. In the aftermath, Britt was automatically declared the winner of the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. However, some reporters and campaign workers counted the votes and determined that Pierce actually won the vote posthumously, 10,787 to 8,231.