On this day in 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first Black Supreme Court Justice. He filled the seat of retiring Justice Tom Clark, and President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him. Sixty-nine senators voted to confirm the Baltimore native and 11 were opposed.
Marshall was on the court for 24 years and retired in 1991. Sadly, the deeply conservative and anti-Black Clarence Thomas was nominated for his seat.
Marshall passed away on January 24, 1993 at the age of 84. Check out some of his most powerful quotes.