While there are references to Black lawyers appearing in Bibb County courts in the late 19th century, none had an office here and their names do not survive. The first Black lawyer admitted to practice in Bibb County was Cassander N. Sellers.
Sellers was a native of Macon, and the grandson of the first Black alderman on city council. He received his legal education in Ohio. In 1901, he applied to Bibb Superior Court for admission to the Bar. Judge William H. Felton appointed James T. Anderson, Clem P. Steed and Washington Dessau as a committee to examine him. The Macon Daily Telegraph reported that Sellers passed a "rigorous examination with flying colors", and on October 1, 1901, Judge Felton signed an order admitting him to practice. He only practiced in Macon for about three years.
Other Black lawyers in Macon before the First World War were: C. J. Johnson, 1906-14; H. T. Harris, 1909; and A. T. Walden, 1914. In 1918, the only Black lawyer with an office in Macon was Andrew J. Stephens. He practiced at 2261/2 Cotton Avenue for about four years.
By 1922, E. L. Wheaton and R. L. Smith were in practice at 556 New Street. While Wheaton did not stay here long, R. L. Smith's career in Macon spanned four decades.
Frank McKenney
Macon Bar Historian