Lunsford Richardson Preyer (January 11, 1919 – April 3, 2001) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (in case citations, M.D.N.C.) is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina. It consists of five divisions with a h ...

and later a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Education and Career

Born in

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

Guilford County Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat and largest community is Greensboro. Since ...

, Preyer graduated from

Woodberry Forest School Woodberry Forest School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia, in the United States. Woodberry's current enrollment is 391. Students come from 34 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and 36 coun ...

in Woodberry Forest,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He received an A.B. in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1941 after completing a senior thesis titled "The Contrasting Values of

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the great ...

and

Daudet Daudet is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the surname * Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897), French novelist * Célimène Daudet (born 1977), French classical pianist * Ernest Daudet (1837–1921), French journ ...

." At Princeton he was on the 150 lb. football team and the golf team and was vice-president of

Princeton Tower Club Princeton Tower Club is one of the eleven eating clubs at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, and one of six clubs to choose its members through a selective process called bicker. Tower is located at 13 Prospect Avenue b ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1949. He was in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1941 to 1946, serving as gunnery officer and executive officer on destroyers in both the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. He received a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for action at

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. He was in private practice of law in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1949 to 1950. He worked for Vick Chemical Company in 1950 (founded by his grandfather and namesake

Lunsford Richardson Lunsford Richardson (December 29, 1854 - August 21, 1919) was an American pharmacist from Selma, North Carolina, and the founder of Vick Chemical Company (which became Vicks, Richardson Vicks Inc.). Early life Lunsford Richardson was born in 1 ...

). He was in private practice of law in Greensboro from 1951 to 1956. He was a City Judge from 1953 to 1954. He was a Judge of the

North Carolina Superior Court The Superior Court is North Carolina's general jurisdiction trial court. It was established in 1777 and is North Carolina's oldest court. History The Superior Court is North Carolina's oldest court. It was established by a law passed on November 1 ...

from 1956 to 1961.

Judicial service

As a State judge in 1957, Rich Preyer upheld a ruling that enabled five black children to attend the previously all-white Gillespie Park School in Greensboro. This was the first integrated school in the City of Greensboro. It was 3 years before the historic

Greensboro sit-ins The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in February to July 1960, primarily in the Woolworth store — now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum — in Greensboro, North Carolina, which led to the F. W. Woolwort ...

at the Woolworth lunch counters that we have heard so much about and read so much about in our history. Rich Preyer was ahead of his time. In 1961, Rich Preyer received a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench from his

classmate, a man of privilege again. His classmate happened to be President John F. Kennedy. He could have had a lifetime appointment on the Federal bench. But 2 years later, he gave up that position to run for governor of North Carolina. He hoped that he would follow in the footsteps of the term-limited governor

Terry Sanford James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pre ...

, who was known as the most progressive governor in the South. Preyer received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the President of the United States, president of a Officer of the United States, federal official when the United States Senate, U.S. Senate is in Recess (motion), recess. Under the ...

from President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

on October 7, 1961, to the

, to a new seat created by 75 Stat. 80. He was nominated to the same seat by President Kennedy on January 15, 1962. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on February 7, 1962, and received his commission on February 17, 1962. His service was terminated on October 9, 1963, due to his resignation.

Run for Governor

For those Members who hear about North Carolina and wonder why it has this kind of progressive image that is more progressive than some of our other southern States, Governor

and people like Rich Preyer were building that image. Even though this was almost 10 years after

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

, the State of North Carolina, like all other southern States, was still basically segregated. Although Governor Sanford had started steps toward integration efforts, according to Preyer's former press aide, the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

burned 50 crosses across North Carolina in protest of Rich Preyer's candidacy for governor of the State of North Carolina. He led the Democratic primary in the Governor's race, but he did not get 50 percent of the vote and the law required at that time in North Carolina that you have 50 percent plus 1 to avoid a

runoff election The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

. He ended up in a runoff with a more conservative opponent, and the conservative opponent won the election. A lot of people say that he won the election because Rich Preyer refused to distance himself from the principles that he thought were important. They called him an integrationist and a lover of black people. Rich's response was, "I love all people. That is what I have been taught as part of my religious beliefs." And he never made any overtures toward the segregationists who were supporting the candidacy of his opponent. Rich Preyer was ahead of his time. Preyer was an unsuccessful candidate for

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

in 1964. He was Senior Vice President and Trust Officer of

North Carolina National Bank North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) was an American bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to 1960 called American Commercial Bank. It was one of America's top banking institutions between the 1960s-1990s. From 1974 to 1983, the bank was ...

(now

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

) from 1965 to 1968.

Congressional service

Rich lost that governor's race and then ran for Congress in 1968, and he was elected to Congress. Many considered him too liberal and out of step with his district. He opposed the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and was one of only two Members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

from North Carolina to vote for legislation to end the war. Rich's voting record finally caught up with him again, because he was not going to compromise his principles. It caught up with him in 1980, when he lost in the Reagan landslide by about 3,500 votes. He saw the election results are coming in, he could have picked up the phone, called his adversary, his opponent and said, "I concede defeat." Rich Preyer said, "No, I'm going over and I'm going to shake this man's hand." He went all the way across town, into his opponent's headquarters, got heckled by his opponent's supporters, and insisted on shaking his opponent's hand to congratulate him. In 1980, after he had lost that race, former Congressman Steve Neal said of Rich Preyer, "There is not a man or woman among us who commands greater respect for intelligence, honesty, integrity and courage of conviction." Preyer was elected as a Democratic

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from North Carolina to the

91st United States Congress The 91st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 19 ...

and to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1969, to January 3, 1981. He was Chairman of the

House Ethics Committee The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Before the 112th Congress, it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. ...

, as well as the House Select Committee on Assassinations's, JFK Subcommittee during the

95th Congress The 95th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 197 ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the

97th Congress The 97th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 198 ...

in 1980.

Post congressional service and death

In 1988, Preyer was elected to the

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon ...

National Governing Board. Preyer resided in Greensboro until his death of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

on April 3, 2001, in that city. He is interred in Green Hill Cemetery in Greensboro.

Honors

The L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building in Greensboro is named in Preyer's honor. Preyer and his wife, Emily, both received the

North Carolina Award The North Carolina Award is the highest civilian award bestowed by the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is awarded in the four fields of science, literature, the fine arts, and public service. Sometimes referred to as the "Nobel Prize of North Carol ...

for Public Service.

References

Sources

Civil Rights Greensboro: Lunsford Richardson Preyer

* *

North Carolina General Assembly resolution
(rich text file)

* ttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7682776/lunsford-richardson-preyer L. Richardson Preyer at Find-A-Grave.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Preyer, Richardson 1919 births 2001 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Bank of America executives Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina North Carolina state court judges Politicians from Greensboro, North Carolina Princeton University alumni United States district court judges appointed by John F. Kennedy Woodberry Forest School alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee

Education and Career

Judicial service

Run for Governor

Congressional service

Post congressional service and death

Honors

See also

References

Sources