Education
Howard University.
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Orzell Billingsley
Edit ProfileCareer
His law practice was deeply involved with civil rights litigation, and he was one of the lead lawyers for Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior. during the 1955 Montgomery Business Boycott. Billingsley served as General Counsel for the National Democratic Party of Alabama (NDPA) and was a delegate for the NDPA at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in 1968. Billingsley helped to incorporate more than 20 small towns in Alabama that had majority black populations.
He was well known for his 15-year defense of Caliph Washington who was falsely accused of killing a white officer
lieutenant was this case that helped to end all-white juries in Alabama. Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were known to call on Billingsley regarding the turbulence in Alabama.
He was known as the “black Patrick Henry of Alabama.”.
Membership
Billingsley was a founding member of the Alabama Lawyers Association.
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Born
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Died
December 14, 2001 (aged 77) -
Political Party
National Democratic Party