Florence V. Lucas
A smiling Black woman with short hair
Florence V. Lucas, from a 1960 issue of The Crisis
BornOctober 10, 1915
New York City
DiedSeptember 6, 1987
New York City
Occupation(s)Lawyer, state official

Florence Victoria Lucas (October 10, 1915 – September 6, 1987) was an American lawyer and state official. She was president of the Jamaica, Queens branch of the NAACP in the 1950s and 1960s, and was Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights from 1972 to 1975. She was the first Black woman elected to the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church.

Early life[edit]

Lucas was born in New York City, the daughter of Charles Lucas and Maybelle L. Hunter Lucas. She graduated from John Adams High School, Hunter College, and Brooklyn Law School in 1939.[1][2]

Career[edit]

In 1940, Lucas was the first Black woman from Queens admitted to the New York bar.[1][2][3] In 1941 she worked in the Office of Price Administration (OPA) in Washington, D.C.[4] After World War II she returned to New York and had a private law practice in Queens from 1954 to 1966. She was appointed to the state Human Rights Commission in 1966, and was deputy commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights from 1972[5][6] until she retired from government work in 1975.[7][8] In the late 1970s and 1980s she was a consultant on affirmative action programs.[2][9]

Lucas was active in the Queens County Women's Bar Association, the Urban League,[10] the National Conference of Christians and Jews,[11] and the National Council of Negro Women.[7] She was president of the Jamaica branch of the NAACP from 1953,[12][13][14] and held statewide offices in the organization as well.[15] In 1957, she ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the City Council.[16] She was director of the Samuel Huntington Community Center in South Jamaica.[1] She served on the board of trustees of Marymount Manhattan College, and received an honorary doctorate from Marymount Manhattan College in 1986.[17] She was the first Black woman elected to the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church.[2][8]

Lucas enjoyed music as a hobby. She founded and directed a girls' choir at Brooks Memorial Methodist Church. In 1960, she and Arlein Ford Straw wrote "Two Songs for Freedom".[1][18]

Personal life[edit]

Lucas married twice. She had a son in the 1940s with her first husband. She died from cancer in September 1987, aged 71 years, at her home in the Rosedale neighborhood of Queens. She was survived by her second husband, D. Rex Edwards, and adopted two children.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "In the Community with Florence Lucas". The Crisis: 85–86. February 1960.
  2. ^ a b c d Benkoe, Jeff (1987-09-09). "Florence Lucas, 71, Queens Lawyer". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). p. 39. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Sojourner Truth Award to Go to Courageous Negro Woman". Hartford Courant. 1972-04-16. p. 142. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Citizens to Honor Florence V. Lucas". The New York Age. 1960-01-30. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "First Woman". Jet: 9. May 11, 1972.
  6. ^ "Speaker to Discuss Women and Society". Star-Gazette. 1973-05-10. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c "Florence Lucas Dead at 71; Worked for Rights Division". The New York Times. 1987-09-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  8. ^ a b "Lucas Will Be Women's Day Guest Speaker". Daily News. 1978-04-23. p. 680. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Florence Lucas is Speaker". The Montclair Times. 1978-04-20. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Complete Plans for Annual Public Meeting of N.Y. Urban League; Drive Under Way". The New York Age. 1942-02-28. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Florence Lucas Gets Rights Job". Daily News. 1972-03-17. p. 76. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Current, Gloster B. (April 1959). "Women in the NAACP". The Crisis: 209.
  13. ^ "What the Branches are Doing". The Crisis: 177. March 1958.
  14. ^ "Florence Lucas is re-elected NAACP Prexy". The New York Age. 1958-01-25. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Woman Attorney to be Speaker". Courier-Post. 1969-10-21. p. 23. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Perry, Elisabeth Israels (2019-03-06). After the Vote: Feminist Politics in La Guardia's New York. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-934186-3.
  17. ^ "Marymount Manhattan: Volcker Sees Perilous Future". The New York Times. 1986-06-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  18. ^ "[Untitled item]". The Crisis: 487. December 1967.

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