Life and Career
Keith grew up in Detroit, where he graduated from Northwestern High School in 1939; Keith then moved on to West Virginia State College (B.A. 1943), Howard University School of Law (J.D. 1949), and Wayne State University Law School (L.L.M. 1956).
Keith married Rachel Boone in 1953 and they had three daughters. Rachel died on January 4, 2007.
In 1964, Keith was elected co-chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission with John Feikens, and was a key player in the tumultuous times following the Detroit race riots.
In 1967, Senator Philip Hart suggested Keith to President Lyndon Johnson, who nominated Keith to his seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Keith eventually rose to Chief Judge of the District Court. And in 1977 he was nominated to the Sixth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter where he has remained.
In 1974, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.
Keith is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
In 2008, Keith received an honorary doctorate in law from Harvard University.
Read more about this topic: Damon Keith
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