Elisha Scott, circa 1940s

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1890, Mr. Scott was the youngest of thirteen children. When he moved to Topeka with his family at the turn of the century, he attended the city’s public schools and later began his studies at Washburn University. In 1916, he was graduated from Washburn’s law school, the third African American to do so.

He became well known as a successful trial lawyer, representing many clients beyond the community, including world heavyweight boxing champions Jack Johnson and Joe Louis and the Negro Baseball League. He was particularly recognized for his civil rights activities. In 1924, he successfully litigated against the exclusion of African Americans from the Junior High School in Coffeyville, Kansas. During that same decade, he successfully defended the rights of African Americans and Native Americans who had been driven off their rich oil-producing land in Oklahoma and Texas.