L. Clifford Davis (1924–2025) was a pioneering African American attorney, judge, and civil rights advocate. He was born in Wilton, Arkansas, and grew up on his parents' farm. Davis graduated from Philander Smith College in 1945 with a business degree. In 1947, he sought admission to the University of Arkansas School of Law but rejected the school’s discriminatory conditions barring him from classrooms, the library, and restrooms with white students. Instead, he attended Howard University, earning his law degree in 1949.

After briefly practicing law in Arkansas, Davis moved to Waco, Texas, to teach at Paul Quinn College. Passing the Texas bar exam in 1954, he began practicing law in Fort Worth, where he was one of only two Black lawyers in the city. Davis worked closely with Thurgood Marshall on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and filed key lawsuits to integrate schools in Mansfield and Fort Worth. He practiced law for three decades, organized the Fort Worth Black Bar Association in 1977, and later served as a criminal district court judge.

In recognition of his trailblazing contributions, the University of Arkansas School of Law awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2017. A devoted member of the United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, Davis and his wife, Ethel Weaver, raised two children. He died in February 2025 in Fort Worth at age 100.

Title

Oral History Interview with L. Clifford Davis

Interviewee

Davis, L. Clifford

Interviewer

Willis, Jenay

Date

2024-05-14

Transcript

L. Clifford Davis Interview Transcript

4 PART INTERVIEW In this interview, conducted ahead of his 100^th birthday, L. Clifford Davis reflects on his childhood, education, and legal career, including his attempt to enter the University of Arkansas School of Law, his studies at Howard University, and his work in school integration and civil rights activism in North Texas. (SEE FOUR SEPARATE CLIPS BELOW)

Detail DSpace Record (note that video player in the DSpace records lacks closed captioning and working sliders)