David Lee Sr.
David Jonathon Lee Sr. was born on this date in 1924. He was a Black lawyer and entrepreneur.
Lee was the youngest son of Robert and Blanche Lee, who lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. His parents' early death left him orphaned at the age of ten, and his Uncle George and Aunt Elnora Evans raised him. Lee attended Whittier Junior High School and graduated from Lincoln Senior High School in 1942. During that time, he excelled in many areas, particularly mathematics and debate. He was drafted into the army, served in the European Theater, and was discharged as a Master Sergeant.
While serving, the army sent him to Howard University, where he joined the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. After the military, he moved to California and completed law school at Southwestern University Law School in 1952. After passing the California Bar Exam, Lee, B. T. Davis, and Frank LaVigne opened the first Black-Owned Law firm, Lee, LaVigne, and Davis, in the city at 1044 Vernon Avenue, Los Angeles. To celebrate the event, (then) councilman and eventual Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley attended the grand opening.
Lee was an avid tennis player, married three times, especially at the Crenshaw Tennis Center in LA. David J. Lee died of prostrate cancer in November 2002.
