Judge J. Franklyn Bourne, Jr.
Civil rights pioneer and first African American District Court Judge in Prince George’s County
(1917 -1972)
The District Court wing of the Upper Marlboro courthouse is dedicated to the memory of the Honorable James Franklyn Bourne, Jr. Judge Bourne was one of the original judges of District 5, the District Court for Prince George’s County, and the first African American judge to serve on that court.
Judge Bourne was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 24, 1917, graduated with honors from Boys High School of Brooklyn, and from Lincoln University in 1940. He entered Dickinson Law School in Pennsylvania in 1940, but soon left to join the United States Coast Guard, where he served from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. He earned his law degree at Howard University Law School in June 1948, and was admitted to the Maryland Bar that fall.
In the early 1950’s, Judge Bourne moved his practice from Baltimore to Prince George’s County, becoming the first African American attorney with a law office in the county.
While practicing law, Judge Bourne served as president and general counsel of the Prince George’s County chapter of the NAACP. In 1969, Governor Spiro Agnew appointed Judge Bourne, a Republican, as the first African American to serve as chairman of the Maryland Workmen’s Compensation Commission (now the Worker’s Compensation Commission).
In July 1971, Governor Mandel appointed Judge Bourne to serve on the newly-created District Court of Maryland.
In 1977, attorneys in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties formed the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association to promote legal excellence, community service, and the advancement of African Americans in the legal profession, as a living memorial to Judge Bourne. And, in 1991, the Upper Marlboro courthouse opened, with a new District Court wing dedicated to Judge Bourne.
Additional Resources
J. Franklyn Bourne, Jr. | Prince George’s County Judicial, MD (princegeorgescourts.org)
BIOGRAPHY OF JUDGE PAYS OFF FOR CHARITIES – The Washington Post
