Chester K. Gillespie to Charles W. Chesnutt, 9 March 1923
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OFFICE PHONE: MAIN 910
RES. PHONE: GARFIELD 1351 J
Chester K. Gillespie
ATTORNEY - AT - LAW
OFFICE: 508 SUPERIOR BLDG.
CLEVELAND, OHIO
March 9th 1923.
Charles W. Chesnutt, Esq.,
Williamson Bldg.,
City.
Dear Mr. Chesnutt:-
Thank you for writing that kind and beautiful letter1 to Mr. Bernsteen.2
Cordially yours, Chester K. Gillespie CKG.Correspondent: Chester K. Gillespie (1897–1985) was a Black lawyer and activist from Ohio who got his law degree at Baldwin-Wallace College Law School in Berea, Ohio and became assistant law director for Cleveland in 1921. He brought many (mostly unsuccessful) anti-discrimination lawsuits against businesses, and later served as a Republican in the Ohio General Assembly (1933—34, 1939—40, and 1943—44) and as the president of the Cleveland branch of the NAACP (1936—37).
1. See Chester K. Gillespie's request of March 3, 1923 for a nomination letter for the position of assistant U.S. District Attorney. Chesnutt wrote, as requested, to newly appointed District Attorney A. E. Bernsteen (1876—1957) on March 8, 1923, probably copying Gillespie. Bernsteen did not choose Gillespie, but instead appointed Irene Nungesser (1890—1970), a White lawyer from his practice, Fyone of the first women to serve in this position nationally. [back]
2. Abraham Edward Bernsteen (1876–1957) was a White lawyer who had graduated from Western Reserve University's law school in Cleveland in 1900 and was in private practice with various partners. He was a lifelong Republican and served as U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio from 1923 to 1929. In January 1929, he resigned and returned to private practice. [back]
