Profile -- Week 1
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898-1989)
 Sadie Alexander was a pioneering African-American
woman lawyer who made many contributions to the struggle for racial
equality. She prepared for leadership even as an undergraduate at the
University of Pennsylvania. Knowing that she could not "single-handedly
make any changes in the position of women at Penn or of the people of
my race," she wrote, "it was best for me to secure an outstanding record
and solid education so that when I entered public life I would have
the background to assume responsibility and leadership." (Quoted in
PENNews, a university publication.)
Born January 2, 1898 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sadie Tanner Mossell
was the youngest of three children in an old and distinguished family.
Her father, Aaron Mossell, was the first black graduate of the University
of Pennsylvania Law School (1888). His brother (Ms. Alexander's uncle),
Dr. Nathan Mossell, was a surgeon who had graduated from Penn's medical
school, and co-founded Frederick Douglass Hospital in 1895, which later
merged with Mercy Hospital to form Philadelphia's Mercy-Douglass Hospital.
Ms. Alexander's maternal uncle was Henry O. Tanner, the artist and
activist. Her maternal aunt, Dr. Hallie Tanner Johnson, is credited
as the first woman, of any race, to practice medicine in Alabama, where
she established the Nurses' School & Hospital at Tuskeegee Institute.
As a child, Sadie and her siblings, along with their mother, lived
in Philadelphia and Washington DC, and she attended grammar school in
both locations. While a teenager, she lived in DC under the care of
her aunt and uncle (Lewis Baxter Moore, dean at Howard University) and
graduated from M Street High School (now called Dunbar High) in 1915.
She then entered the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with honors
in three years, and subsequently began her graduate studies in Economics
at Penn. In 1921, Ms. Alexander became the first African-American woman
to earn a Ph.D. in Economics. As an undergraduate, she was an active
member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and later served as its first
national president.
Although her academic achievements were outstanding, she was unable
to obtain employment in Philadelphia, and moved to Durham, NC, where
she worked for black-owned North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance, for
two years. She returned to Philadelphia in 1923 and married attorney
Raymond Pace Alexander, shortly after he was admitted to the Pennsylvania
Bar and opened his practice.
The following year, Sadie Alexander began law school at Penn. While
in law school, she helped found the National Bar Association (the black
organization parallel to the ABA) and later served as its national secretary
for many years. She graduated in 1927, the first African-American woman
to graduate from the school as well as the first to be admitted to the
Pennsylvania Bar. As a member of her husband's firm (1927-1959), Ms.
Alexander specialized in estate and family law.
From 1928-1930 and from 1934-1938, she held the position of Assistant
City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia—the first African-American
woman to work in the solicitor's office in the city. Under her leadership,
circa 1932, the John Mercer Langston Law Club—the professional
and social organization for black attorneys in Philadelphia—formed
a legal aid bureau to assist African Americans who could not afford
lawyers. She was the only woman lawyer in that group of volunteers who
helped indigent black people in civil and criminal matters. During that
period, Ms. Alexander also gave birth to her two daughters, Mary and
Rae.
Active in the National Urban League (1930-57), she served as its Secretary
for 25 years. She was also an active participant with the National Committee
of the American Civil Liberties Union (1948-82) and served as National
Vice President of Americans for Democratic Action. In 1947, Ms. Alexander
was appointed by President Truman to serve on his Committee on Human
Rights. From 1952-1968, she was active in the newly formed Commission
on Human Relations in Philadelphia, and served five years as Chairperson.
Ms. Alexander practiced law independently from 1952 until 1976, during
which time she assumed an active role in the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Her husband died in 1974. She joined the firm of Atkinson, Myers and
Archie in 1976, where she served as counsel until her retirement in
1982.
Philadelphia and the legal profession lost one of its most outstanding
pioneers and civic leaders when Sadie Alexander passed away in 1989.
In celebration of Sadie Alexander and her contributions to the law,
the Black Law Student Association at the University of Pennsylvania
annually hosts the Sadie Alexander Commemoration. 2002 marks the 14th
year of the Commemoration. (For more information on the annual BLSA
celebration, contact: blsa@law.upenn.edu)
Information sources:
Lia Epperson: Sadie T.M. Alexander Timeline for
Women's Legal History Class Presentation 11/13/97
The following are found on the University of Pennsylvania Web sites:
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.: Notable Deltas
Black History Month 2002 | Links
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