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J. Mercer Burrell

J. Mercer Burrell was an American civil rights leader, lawyer, and politician. He was one of the first Black state legislators in New Jersey. He was the defense attorney for the Trenton Six in 1951.

Early life
Burrell was born in Richmond, Virginia on November 21, 1890. He graduated from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He received his law degree from the New Jersey Law School, now Rutgers Law School. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I. During the war, he was injured in France. == Career ==
Career
Burrell was an attorney. He represented the founders of the Phi Delta Kappa, filing the paperwork to incorporate the education sorority. He served in the New Jersey State House in 1933 as a Republican and 1935 under the Clean Government line. In 1951, Burrell represented the Trenton Six in a new trial, ultimately winning freedom for four of the Black men who had been convicted of rape in 1948. This was a high profile case that trigged protest rallies and an appeal to the United Nations. In 1953, he ran unsuccessfully to be the Republican nominee for the 11th Congressional District. He was also vice-president of the National Bar Association. == Personal life ==
Personal life
Burrell lived in New York and East Orange, New Jersey before moving to Newark, New Jersey in 1919. ==References==
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