(FAMILY PAPERS) Family photographs of John W Coles Chief Cle

Sale 2631 - Lot 218

Price Realized: $ 1,000

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900

(FAMILY PAPERS.) Family photographs of John W. Coles, Chief Clerk of the New York Supreme Court. Approximately 160 snapshot photographs approximately 3 x 5 inches, sleeved in a 4-piece Sears Photo Treasure Chest; plus 10 larger loose photographs, approximately 8 x 10 inches; most captioned in ink in image or on verso, various conditions but most with minimal wear. Rochester, NY and elsewhere, 1923-1961 and undated

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John Walter Coles (1895-1977) came north to the Rochester, NY area with his parents as a boy, graduated from Morehouse College, served in World War One, and was hired as a county clerk messenger in 1940 at the age of 44. From there he moved into a clerical position, became a clerk in the state's Supreme Court in 1953, and then in 1961 was named as the court's chief clerk--the first Black man to hold the post. He retired in 1965 on his 70th birthday.

These photographs were apparently gathered and captioned by wife Helen D. Coles (1904-1984), who worked at a state bindery and in the payroll office of the County Home. They include shots of extended family, fishing, masonic events, travel, sports cards, the state Supreme Court building, and court clerk professional events. One uncaptioned 8 x 10 photograph from the Buffalo Criterion shows a group of 10 Black men including Coles (third from right) and Thurgood Marshall (illustrated).