Early Influences in Hugo Black's Life
(Biographical)

Introduction:

Growing up in Clay County, Alabama, Hugo Black seemed to grow up away from almost everything his hypocritical, alcoholic father was and stood for in an isolated, rural town fractured by politics, poverty, whiskey, religion and race. When he arrived in Birmingham as a "struggling lawyer," he represented poor white and black residents of Birmingham, who were the only clients who would look for a lawyer in an office down the hall from a beauty salon or at a desk in a large office of inexperienced lawyers.

Questions:

1.  What were some "turning points" in Hugo Black's early life as a boy in Clay County?

2.  Was Black's father or his mother a greater influence on his early life and values?

3.  Justice Black once told a old friend from Clay County, "many of the beliefs implicit in the opinions ... [I have written on the U.S. Supreme Court] could be traced back to the times I spent with the plain, sturdy people of our birthplace."  What influences might Black have been thinking about from Clay's "plain, sturdy people"?

4.  Did Black's own struggles to establish himself as a lawyer in Birmingham create a bond or solidarity with plight of his poor clients?

5.  Black's life contrasts with the life of another Alabama lawyer, LeRoy Percy, father of the Southern writer, Walker Percy (Chapter 7).  Had Black grown up in privileged circumstances similar to those of the Percys, is it likely that his law practice or his own beliefs would have been different?  In what ways?