As the nation paused November 11, to honor the veterans and service members who defend U.S. freedoms in uniform, we also learned of the death of one of America’s legendary civil rights attorneys. John Doar was a white man born in 1921, the year after the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. He died in 2014, during the administration of our first black president. In the intervening 92 years he played a key role in some of the most remarkable political and legal events of the late 20th Century. Doar served as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights from 1960-1967, during the tumultuous dawn of federal statutory civil rights protections. He thus headed the same division of the U.S. Department of Justice that currently houses the Disability Rights Section, which is charged with enforcing the federal ADA — a law that would not have been possible without the other civil rights laws that came before. As a lawyer and an American, Doar was deeply committed to the values that all Americans hold dear — equality, justice, and opportunity for all. He worked not just for one constituency, or for one community, but for everyone, recognizing that the true promise of America cannot be realized until everyone is fully included and integrated into all aspects our great democratic experiment. DREDF joins many other grieving civil rights advocates in honoring John Doar’s life and accomplishments. Read the obituary.
This is a beautiful man both inside and out. A remarkable man deserving of celebration for a life that has touched so many in so many different ways. He left a positive mark on the world and will not be forgotten.
Mr. Doar is what history is all about. It shares a side that is often ignored. I wish we had more elected and appointed public officials that could take lessons from his life long purpose. He has inspired me and others to remember the importance of the meaning of life. Not just for oneself but for all involved.