by Jordan Bell
Last Thursday dozens of people honored another local historical figure, Edward Richard Dudley III. Dudley was born in South Boston, VA in 1911. His father Dr. Edward Dudley II was known as the first Black dentist in Roanoke who had an office on Gilmer Avenue. In the early 1900s in Gainsboro Edward Dudley lived in the 400 block of Gilmer Avenue being next-door neighbors to future Civil Rights attorney Oliver Hill. Both Hill and Dudley grew up in Roanoke and both would go on to change the landscape of America.
Former Mayor and historian Nelson Harris said of Dudley “his story is not known to a vast majority of people especially here in Roanoke where he grew up.” Nelson Harris worked alongside Edward Dudley IV to bring this historical marker to Roanoke.
While speaking of his father at last Thursday’s unveiling Dudley said “My father lived a life of service. He had many careers. One was an attorney who fought only early desegregation cases that would eventually turn into Brown v Board of Education. Another career was his position as the first Black U.S. ambassador to Liberia. And the third being a New York State Supreme Court judge.”
Edward Dudley is one of the most accomplished Americans in this country’s history. When he left Roanoke he moved to New York City living with family. He worked odd jobs before enrolling in law school at St Johns University School of Law. After becoming an Attorney he worked with the NAACP and Thurgood Marshall.
Dudley and Marshall both fought together on cases such as equal pay for Black teachers compared to their white counterparts. He became a well-known and respected legal mind. It was requested by the New York mayor at the time that Dudley become legal counsel to the governor of the Virgin Islands. President Harry Truman in 1948 appointed Dudley as the first African American to hold a post as ambassador.
As Ambassador, Dudley’s efforts contributed to the growth and prosperity of the country of Liberia.
“To be a great person there have to be great people behind you,” said Dudley’s son at the unveiling. He hopes that someone will one day write a book about his father. He gifted the Gainsboro Library with many writings and letters from his father that were written during his career. Not many people can say they were special counsel with the NAACP during the height of segregation, became the first black ambassador in the United States, became Manhattan borough president and became a New York State Supreme Court judge. Edward Dudley did all of those things and his foundation started in Roanoke.
