Jewel Lafontant was considered by President Richard Nixon as a Supreme Court nominee.
16 Facts About Jewel Lafontant
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Jewel Lafontant was a descendant of the 19th century American artisan, Scipio Vaughan, and his wife, Maria Conway, from whom she acquired Yoruba Nigerian, Native American and Scottish ancestries.
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Jewel Lafontant began law school in 1943 and was the only African-American woman in her class.
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Jewel Lafontant formed a law firm in Chicago in 1949 with her first husband, John W Rogers Sr.
5.
Jewel Lafontant gave the seconding speech for Nixon's nomination to be the Republican candidate for President during the 1960 Presidential election.
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Jewel Lafontant ran unsuccessfully for Illinois judicial elections in 1962 and 1970.
7.
Jewel Lafontant sat on many corporate and non-profits boards, including the boards of Jewel Companies, Trans World Airlines, Mobil Corporation, Revlon, the Illinois Humane Society, Howard University, and Oberlin College.
8.
In 1972, Nixon appointed Jewel Lafontant to serve as a representative to the General Assembly of the United Nations.
9.
In 1973, Nixon appointed Jewel Lafontant to be the first-ever female Deputy Solicitor General.
10.
Jewel Lafontant left the administration in 1975 to return to practicing law in Chicago, which she continued to do until 1989.
11.
Jewel Lafontant was admitted to the DC Court of Appeals in 1985.
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Jewel Lafontant traveled extensively during this time all over the world.
13.
Jewel Lafontant made a yearly recommendation to President Bush about the number of refugees that should be admitted to the United States.
14.
Jewel Lafontant remarried, to Haitian-American attorney H Ernest Lafontant in 1961, and remained married to him until his death in October 1976.
15.
Jewel Lafontant married Naguib Soby Mankarious in 1989 and was married to him until her death in 1997.
16.
Jewel Lafontant received a Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women in 1983.