Douglas, Nils R., 1930-2003
Dates
- Existence: 1930 - 2003
Biographical Note
Nils R. Douglas was a prominent politician, lawyer, and civil rights activits in New Orleans.
Born in New Orleans in 1930, Nils Douglas attended Dillard University and graduated from Loyola University School of Law. Short on prospects practicing law in Louisiana, Douglas considered applying for employment at the post office in New Orleans--joining a cadre of underemployed African American lawyers delivering mail. Instead, Douglas joined up with Lolis Elie and Robert Collins to form a law firm. By 1960, Collins, Douglas, and Elie had become the principal attorneys in Louisiana for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Despite the high number of civil rights cases the firm took on, these were not lucrative; according to Lolis Elie, the firm's secretary made more than any of the lawyers throughout the 1960s.
During this time, Douglas was a frequent candidate for local political offices. In 1963, Douglas ran for the Louisiana Senate to represent Wards 8 and 9 and ran for the Louisiana House to represent the 9th Ward. In 1966, he ran for the Louisiana House again, and, in 1967, Douglas ran for the Democratic Party State Central Committee. In the 1966 campaign, Douglas gained strong support from African American voters, though they were not yet numerous enough to elect him; it was also out of this campaign that Douglas and others formed the Southern Organization for Unified Leadership (SOUL), which organized efforts to register and mobilize African American voters. In 1973 Douglas was appointed Criminal District Court Commissioner for Orleans Parish, where he served until his retirement in 1986.
In 1982, Douglas started an independent law practice which remains in his family after his death in 2003. Douglas was a long-term member of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society and the Louisiana State Board of Ethics for Elected Officials. Shortly before his death, Douglas was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Bar Association.