Hon. Harry A. Cole (1921-1999)

Simmie Knox
Dedication of the Portrait of Judge Harry A. Cole June 3, 1999
42 ½ H x 38 W in.
Court of Appeals Building, Annapolis, MD
Public Service:
Assistant Attorney General of Maryland, 1953-1954
Maryland Senate, 1955-1958
Chairman of the Maryland Advisory Committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission, 1968
Municipal Court of Baltimore City, 1967
Supreme Bench of Baltimore City, 1967-1977
Maryland Court of Appeals, 1977-1991
Comments:
The Honorable Harry A. Cole graduated as class valedictorian from Morgan State College in 1943 and immediately joined the United States Army, serving until 1946. Graduating from the University of Maryland Law School, he was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1949. One word frequently associated with Judge Cole is "first." First African American appointed as assistant attorney general of Maryland (1953); first African American elected to the Maryland General Assembly (1955); first chairman of the Maryland Advisory Committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission (1958); first African American appointed to the Maryland Court of Appeals (1977).