John R. Hargrove, Sr., was the first African American to be appointed assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and was later appointed by President Ronald Regan to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
Background
Hargrove was born on October 25, 1923 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he was the first son of Georgine and Raymond Hargrove. When he was six months old, the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Saint Catherine's Academy (now Saint Pius School), and graduated from Douglass High School in 1941. After high school, he entered Morgan State College in Baltimore.[1] His studies were interrupted by World War II when he joined the military service. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to 1946 where he attained the rank of sergeant. After the war he graduated from Howard University where he received his B.A. in 1947. Hargrove graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1950 and was admitted to the bar the same year. In 1957 he became the 1st African-American to be appointed ssistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, serving in that capacity for five years. In 1967, Hargrove was elected as a delegates to the Maryland Constitutional Convention in Annapolis, Maryland.[2]
Judicial career
In 1962, he was appointed Judge of the old People's Court, where he served for a brief time before losing an election for the position. The next year he and Joseph C. Howard, Sr. formed the law firm of Howard and Hargrove, where he practiced law until 1968. In 1968 he was appointed Judge of the old Municipal Court of Baltimore City. The old Municipal Court became the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City in 1971, at which time he was named the first Administrative Judge for the newly-formed District Court. In 1974, he was appointed Associate Judge of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City (now the Circuit Court for Baltimore City), where he served until 1984. In 1984, after being nominated and confirmed by the United States Senate, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, a position he held from 1984 until his death in 1997. .[3]
Legacy
John R. Hargrove, Sr. District Court Building
The newest of the Baltimore City District Courthouses is the John R. Hargrove, Sr. Building, located at 700 E. Patapsco Avenue in southern Baltimore City. Ground for this new courthouse was broken in 2001 and it is named in honor of the late Judge John R. Hargrove, Sr. who died April 1, 1997.[4] His son, John Raymond Hargrove, Jr., was appointed to the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City by Governor Parris Glendening in 1998.[5]
References
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