[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21729-21730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    A TRIBUTE TO ROMALLUS O. MURPHY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding citizen and a person whom I admire greatly, attorney 
Romallus O. Murphy of Greensboro, North Carolina. The meaningful 
accomplishments of Romallus Murphy have affected the lives of many 
people across the State of North Carolina and across this Nation. On 
October 14, 2006, this great American will be justly honored by the 
North Carolina State Conference of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, for his many meaningful years of 
remarkable service. At the Conference they will also announce a fitting 
tribute, the establishment of an Annual Continuing Legal Education 
Program bearing the name of Romallus Murphy. The yearly award will 
assist lawyers in refining their skills and renewing their dedication 
to honorable, steadfast service which has been the hallmark of his 
career.
  Mr. Speaker, Romallus Murphy served as Chair of the Legal Redress 
Committee of the North Carolina Conference of the NAACP since the 
1960s. Over the last half-century, he and those he has inspired have 
given invaluable counsel to clients and young lawyers

[[Page 21730]]

alike who were and still are engaged in dismantling the old walls that 
have divided people of North Carolina along artificial lines of color 
and creed.
  Romallus Murphy is a native of Houston, Texas. He attended college at 
Howard University in Washington, DC, and graduated in 1951. He briefly 
attended the School of Law at Howard University but finished his legal 
education at the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1956 
where he was the only student of color.
  Mr. Speaker, Romallus Murphy began his legal career in my home 
community of Wilson, North Carolina. He was the only African-American 
attorney in this eastern North Carolina community. As such, he was a 
role model to countless individuals. I attribute my desire to become a 
lawyer to the tremendous impression he made upon my young life.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1957 the Wilson City Council changed its election 
procedure to require at-large elections and a provision requiring 
voters to vote for a full slate. Anything less than a full slate was 
considered a spoiled ballot. The purpose of these discriminatory 
changes in election procedure resulted in the Black candidate, Dr. G.K. 
Butterfield, being defeated.
  In 1959, another Black candidate ran for a seat on the City Council 
but was required to run in the new at-large election system and be 
subjected to the full slate requirement. The candidate, Reverend 
Talmage A. Watkins, was soundly defeated and his defeat was directly 
attributable to the new elections procedure. In response, the community 
retained Romallus Murphy to bring a voting lawsuit against the City of 
Wilson. Mr. Murphy litigated the case through the state courts and 
eventually argued the case before the United States Supreme Court. 
Though unsuccessful, the case was part of the record that convinced the 
Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  Mr. Speaker, Romallus Murphy served in the United States Air Force 
and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. He was assigned 
to Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, South Carolina, Clovis Air Force Base, 
Clovis, New Mexico, and Japan.
  Romallus Murphy served as President of Shaw College in Detroit, 
Michigan, for several years. He also practiced law in the capital city 
of Raleigh, North Carolina, with renowned civil rights lawyer, Samuel 
Mitchell. He currently practices law in Greensboro, North Carolina, 
where he serves a community that is appreciative of his work.
  In 1987, Romallus Murphy was legal counsel to the North Carolina 
State Conference of Branches for the NAACP. He was part of the legal 
team that forced the State of North Carolina to create electoral 
opportunities for Black lawyers to become Superior Court Judges. His 
lawsuit was the catalyst that forced the General Assembly to create 
majority black judicial districts. As a result of this effort, at least 
eight African-American judges were elected to the Superior Court bench.
  Currently, Romallus Murphy is a practicing attorney in Greensboro, 
North Carolina. He is a member of Genesis Baptist Church. He is married 
to Gale Bostic Murphy and he has six children: Natalie, Kim, Romallus 
Jr., Wynette, Verna, and Christian.
  Mr. Speaker, placing this tribute into the Congressional Record is a 
great personal honor for me. I ask my colleagues to join me and the 
delegates to the North Carolina Conference in paying tribute to this 
courageous attorney who has worked to foster and continue our Nation's 
founding principle--that all men and women are created equal.

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