HR 21 (LSB 2967YH (8) 91)

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 21

BY  GUSTOFF, ANDREWS, JONES, THOMSON, WILBURN, LOHSE, R. JOHNSON, BAGNIEWSKI, and MADISON

A Resolution honoring the centennial anniversary of the National Bar Association and its Iowa co-founders.

   WHEREAS, in 1914, Gertrude Durden Rush graduated from Des Moines College and studied law under the tutelage of her attorney husband, James B. Rush; and
   WHEREAS, in 1918, after studying at Drake University and LaSalle University, Gertrude Durden Rush passed the bar examination, becoming the first black woman to practice law in the State of Iowa; and
   WHEREAS, in 1924, Gertrude Durden Rush was refused membership in the American Bar Association because of her race; and
   WHEREAS, in 1924, Gertrude Durden Rush co-founded the Negro Bar Association in Des Moines with fellow Iowa attorneys James B. Morris, Sr., George H. Woodson, Charles P. Howard, Sr., S. Joe Brown, and others; and
   WHEREAS, the Negro Bar Association became known as the National Bar Association and was incorporated in the State of Iowa on August 1, 1925; and
   WHEREAS, the National Bar Association has carried out its objectives to advance the science of jurisprudence; improve the administration of justice; preserve the independence of the judiciary and to uphold the honor and integrity of the legal profession; to promote professional and social intercourse among the members of the American and the international bars; to promote legislation that will improve the economic condition of all American citizens, regardless of race, sex, or creed in their efforts to secure a free and untrammeled use of the franchise guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States; and to protect the civil and political rights of the citizens and residents of the United States; and
   WHEREAS, the National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly black attorneys and judges representing the interests of approximately 67,000 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students; and
   WHEREAS, the National Bar Association is organized around 25 substantive law sections, 10 divisions, 12 regions, and 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world; and
   WHEREAS, notable members include Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, and Johnnie Cochran; and
   WHEREAS, current members of the National Bar Association work in and hold leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies, law firms of all sizes, impactful public interest agencies, state and federal governments, and leading academic institutions; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives honors and thanks the National Bar Association for 100 years of service to the state and legal community, and honors and recognizes the Iowans who helped found the National Bar Association.