Everett J. Waring
*Everett Waring was born on this date in 1859. He was a Black businessman and lawyer.
Everett J. Waring, the son of Malvina C. and James S. Waring, was born in Springfield, Ohio. His father was an educator and principal of Black schools in Columbus and Springfield. Everett, whose mother and father were mulatto, was "very light-colored." His parents, who were second cousins, had five children.
Waring graduated from Columbus High School in 1877 and taught in Columbus and Springfield public schools. One year later, he became a principal of colored schools in Columbus. After schools were integrated in 1882, Waring was an examiner of pensions at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. He held the position while graduating from Howard University Law School in 1885.
On October 10, 1885, he was the first Black person admitted to the Maryland State Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bench of Baltimore. He practiced before the Supreme Court of the United States and the Maryland State Appellate Court. He represented individuals involved in the Navassa Island Riot of 1889, which occurred after Business lured Black men to the island to gather guano for fertilizer and gunpowder. The men were subject to inhumane treatment, low pay, and high cost of goods. He lost the 1890 Jones v. United States jurisdiction case, and the men were found guilty. Waring represented the Brotherhood of Liberty. He received a master's degree in 1893.
Waring married Katie E. Johnson on January 12, 1887; they had four children. He co-founded the Lexington Savings Bank in 1895, a Black-owned business. After moving to Baltimore, Waring joined the Union Baptist Church and later transferred to the St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church. He moved to Ohio in 1897 during the embezzlement trial. Waring was distraught and an ill man due to the stress. Waring had legal and financial troubles that led to the bank failure and equity cases filed against Waring for unpaid mortgages. As a result, he left Baltimore and returned to Ohio, where he established a law practice.
Waring later moved to Philadelphia, where he practiced law. Over his career, he was a newspaper editor, publisher, and minister. Everett Waring died on September 2, 1914. The Everett J. Waring / Juanita Jackson Mitchell Law Society of Howard County ("WMLS") was chartered in Maryland on April 23, 1985, for judges, lawyers, and elected community leaders. It was named for Waring and Juanita Jackson Mitchell, "outstanding African American attorneys of historical significance." It is affiliated with the state and national bar associations and is involved in community, legal, mentoring, judicial nominations, and other key initiatives.
