Interview with Hon. Ernest Adolphus Finney, Jr. - OH 365

Interviewer

Michael A. Cooke

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Download Interview (30.2 MB)

Abstract

Honorable Ernest Adolphus Finney, Jr. (1931-2017) represented the “Friendship Nine,” which was a group of Friendship College students attested during a sit-in protest at the McCrory’s lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Hon. Finney later became the first African American appointed to the South Carolina Supreme Court since Reconstruction and served from 1985 through 2000 and served as Chief Justice of South Carolina from 1994-2000.

This interview was conducted for the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. In this interview, Justice Finney describes his early life, education, and his law practice. He was a teacher in Conway during the 1950s due to racial discrimination making it hard for a black lawyer to get work. He describes how he and his family got involved with politics and worked with members of the Sumter county community to increase the amount of people registered to vote. He discusses the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the state of the black community during this time. He talks about his experiences during the special sessions of 1973, during which South Carolina tried to reapportion its numbers in the House of Representatives. He discusses his involvement in the development of a black caucus for South Carolina and the impact it had on the state.

Publication Date

7-2-1984

Unique Identifier

OH 365

Format

1 Cassette; MP3; WAV;

Length

00:32:58

Restrictions

This interview is open for use

Series

Politics

Disciplines

Oral History

Keywords

South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus

Interview with Hon. Ernest Adolphus Finney, Jr. - OH 365

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