‘An incredible, courageous legacy’ left by lawyer, icon
W. George Allen, a hugely influential figure in Broward history and its black community, has died, his family confirmed Thursday. He was 83.
In 1962, Allen became the first African American to graduate from the University of Florida and went on to become a leading lawyer in Florida and the nation.
Allen was at the forefront of the civil rights movement, including playing a key role in integrating public schools in Broward County by filing a landmark 1970 lawsuit.
His son Jonathan Allen wrote on social media Thursday: “It is with profound sadness that I confirm the passing of our beloved Dad, attorney W. George Allen. We pause to pay our tribute of love, affection and respect to a legal maverick.”
“He was also a Florida icon, fishing icon, family icon and a very distinguished gentleman.”
Allen’s alma mater memorialized him in a Facebook post Friday morning:
“The entire UF Law community mourns the passing of W. George Allen. George was a member of the UF Law class of 1962 and made history as the first African American to graduate from our great university. He leaves behind an incredible, courageous legacy. We are forever indebted to George, and
we will work each day to honor and preserve his memory.”
Allen said in a 2013 interview with Florida Trend: “I was admitted to Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley, but I’m a native Floridian, and I felt that somebody had to integrate the University of Florida. The racists told me I didn’t belong there and I’d never graduate.”
Michael A. Fischler is the president of the Broward County Bar Association, a position once held by Allen.
“George Allen was a leader, pioneer in the legal profession, and a well-regarded and highly respected trial lawyer who opened the door for many others, and acted as a mentor for numerous individuals,” Fischler told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday.
“George exemplified the highest level of professionalism in all of his different matters that he handled … and always treated parties on either side with respect
A 1988 Sun Sentinel profile of Allen quotes former congressman and mayor of Fort Lauderdale Clay Shaw as saying that Allen remained devoted to the “rightness of his cause.”
“George has the great, great knack for objecting vigorously without being objectionable,” Shaw said. “He has a low-key approach. But never make the mistake of thinking he’s not effective.”
A 2014 Sun Sentinel article notes, “though the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in 1954 in Brown v Board of Education that ‘separate but equal’ schools were unconstitutional, Broward County didn’t earnestly desegregate until Allen’s lawsuit 16 years later.”
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings
“We have lost a brilliant lawyer, a civil rights champion, and an aweinspiring man who was a true pillar of our community.”
— Alcee Hastings
was Allen’s law partner and worked with him on lawsuits dealing with segregation and other civil rights matters.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of my friend and law partner, W. George Allen,” Hastings wrote in a news release Friday. “We have lost a brilliant lawyer, a civil rights champion, and an awe-inspiring man who was a true pillar of our community.”
To read Hastings’ full statement, visit Alcee Hastings.house.gov.
“George was an impact person,” Hastings told the Sun Sentinel over the phone Friday. “And he impacted the lives of this community as well as, particularly the legal community in this country.”
“George leaves behind a principled legacy of service to our country, the civil rights movement, and South Florida,” he said. “I know his loss will be felt in Broward County for years to come and his contributions ingrained in history.
“I offer my deepest condolences to his children, Jonathan, Timothy, Frederick, and Amy Carole and the entire Allen family during this heartbreaking time. May he rest in peace.”
His son Jonathan Allen spoke to the Sun Sentinel about his father Friday afternoon over the phone.
“He was a humble giant who made a significant impact to the Broward County community, to the state of Florida and to the nation.”
“He grew up in a segregated community in Sanford, Florida, and he was able to graduate from
Crooms High School in Sanford,” he said. “I think he would be proud that he desegregated the Broward County school system.”
He was also instrumental in desegregating the schools in Hendry County, in Central Florida.
Allen also served in a number of local, state and national organizations. He was the president of the National Bar Association and the first president of the association from Florida, as well as a longtime member of New Mount Olive Baptist Church, where he served as a member of the board of trustees from 1975 to 1997 and as attorney for the church from 1963 to 1997. He was also a member of the NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the Urban League and the Opportunities Industrialization Center of South Florida.
Jonathan Allen said, “He had a long history of service and he passed peacefully among family.”
Arrangements for a service have not been finalized as of publication time, but check SunSentinel.com for updates from his family.