HOMER ADOLPH PLESSY
1862-1925

ON JUNE 7, 1892, HOMER ADOLPH PLESSY
DEFIED A LOUISIANA LAW THAT
SEGREGATED RAILROAD TRAINS ON THE
BASIS OF RACE. HE WAS ARRESTED
AND BECAME THE DEFENDANT IN THE
MAY 18, 1896 UNITED STATES SUPREME
COURT DECISION OF PLESSY V. FERGUSON,
WHICH CONDONED "SEPARATE BUT
EQUAL" FACILITIES IN THE UNITED
STATES. SPONSORED BY A NEW ORLEANS
GROUP, CALLED THE "COMITÉ DES
CITOYENS," PLESSY'S CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
MARKED ONE OF THE FIRST LEGAL
CHALLENGES TO THE SEPARATION OF
RACES IN THE SOUTH FOLLOWING THE
RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD. THOUGH HE
LOST THE CASE IN 1896, THE COURT
LATER UPHELD PLESSY'S FOURTEENTH
AMENDMENT ARGUMENTS IN 1954 IN
BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION. THE
COMITÉ DES CITOYENS INCLUDED LOUIS
ANDRE MARTINET, ATTORNEY AND
PUBLISHER OF THE CRUSADER NEWSPAPER,
AND RODOLPHE DESDUNES, A WRITER
FOR THE CRUSADER, WHO IS ENTOMBED
IN ST. LOUIS CEMETERY NO. II. LEAD
ATTORNEYS IN THE CASE WERE
JAMES WALKER OF NEW ORLEANS AND
THE NOTED RECONSTRUCTION AUTHOR,
ALBION W. TOURGÉE OF NEW YORK.