James L. Hardiman (b. 1941), was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Sally and Albert Hardiman and a graduate of John Jay High School in the Cleveland Public School System during the 1950s. Hardiman earned a bachelor's degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1963 and his Juris Doctorate from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in 1968. Not long after being admitted to the Ohio bar, Hardiman became an attorney for the plaintiffs in the case of
The James L. Hardiman
This collection is of value to researchers studying the legal history of school desegregation in the United States broadly, and more specifically locally, focusing on the Cleveland Public Schools. Researchers studying public school desegregation, Cleveland, Ohio, history, African American history, education, civil rights and school integration will find this collection of interest. The collection documents the long and turbulent process of integration in the Cleveland Public School District, which notably occurred after the heyday of the American Civil Rights Movement, and demonstrates African Americans' on-going struggle for equal opportunities and equal access to education. The large amount of professional correspondence details the litigation process and identifies Hardiman's personal connection to this initiative. The strength of this collection lies in its wealth of unofficial court documents relating to this significant case, many of which are annotated by Hardiman and the other attorneys for the Plaintiffs.
While the dates 1973-2000 are inclusive, this is not a complete series of court documents. The late 1990s and files documenting the 1997 trial to determine unitary status are particularly well represented, however records from 1991-1993 are more sparse. Researchers will find many of the late Judge Frank Battisti's more historic opinions and orders from the 1970s and 1980s contained in trial exhibit folders.
This manuscript group does not offer insight into Hardiman's role in other Ohio desegregation cases, nor does it document his significant contributions in other civil rights and civil liberties initiatives during his career. Those wishing to learn more about Hardiman's other professional activities or personal thoughts will find it difficult with this set of papers. Despite this weakness, the Hardiman Papers document extensively a very significant piece of Cleveland and African American history.
The collection is arranged in five series.
The researcher should also consult MS 4796 WELCOME (Westsiders and Eastsiders Let's Come Together) Records; and MS 4720 The Greater Cleveland Project Records.
Processed by Colleen Benoit and Hannah Kemp-Severence in 2012.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5123 James L. Hardiman
Gift of James L. Hardiman in 2004.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.