Spartan Profiles: Wallace Jefferson

TEXAS LAWMAN

            The Roots phenomenon in the 1970s led many African Americans to trace their histories. One family in San Antonio, TX, traced its history to Shedrick Willis, a slave owned by district judge Nicholas Battle of Waco. Last May, one of Willis’ descendants, Wallace Jefferson, ’85, became the first African American —and first Spartan—to be named a Supreme Court Justice in Texas.

            An appellate lawyer who founded his own firm, Croft, Callaway & Jefferson, Jefferson had to take a huge cut in pay to accept the $113,000-a-year position in Austin. “This kind of opportunity doesn’t come along in a lawyer’s life but once,” he explains. “I decided to seize the moment.”

            A Republican, Wallace has drawn praise from Democrats as well. Interestingly, Wallace has a high regard for Battle, who often ruled against white plaintiffs with claims on black slaves and who later helped Willis serve two terms on the Waco City Council. “It’s a good American story,” says Wallace, the only one of five siblings to leave Texas for college. “I was invited to compete for the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship at MSU,” he explains. “I didn’t win, but fell in love with the MSU campus. It was great period in my life. I made lifelong friends. We had great professors at James Madison, like Richard Zinman, Ken Waltzer and many others. Our classes were small and the professors were dedicated to teaching and connected closely with students.” He also lauds philosophy professors Steve Esquith and Richard Peterson.

            After receiving a law degree at the University of Texas, Wallace earned a reputation as one of the best appellate legal minds in the state. Says Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who appointed Wallace: “He’s a legal scholar who would bring a unique perspective to the bench. He's on the bench for his obvious legal capabilities—not his intriguing background, even that he's a Spartan."