The most hated man in Alabama

His law school classmate called him an "integrating, scalawagging, carpetbagging liar." The White Citizen Council called him a traitor. Others in the White community used even harsher words to describe him.

But not everyone thought of him that way.

Tuscumbia's U.S. Sen. Howard Heflin stated that he had an "unrelenting devotion to the rule of law."

Robert Kennedy said that his courage and integrity helped to make this country a true constitutional democracy.

Time magazine put his portrait on its cover in 1967 and called him " one of the most important men in America." Bill Moyer, nationally known journalist and news analyst, said on his television show that he had "altered forever the face of the South and earned an enduring place in our history for his courage and wisdom."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called him "the man who gave true meaning to the word 'justice.' "

They were all referring to former U.S. District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr., who in 1955, at the age of 37, became the youngest federal judge in the country.

As a federal judge, he quickly gained a reputation as a vigorous defender of civil rights.

His rulings during the 1950s and 1960s helped to end segregated schools, buses, parks, restaurants and other public facilities.

He struck down barriers to voting for African Americans by abolishing Alabama's poll taxes and literacy tests.

One of Johnson's most daring rulings was that of opening Alabama 80 for the Selma-to-

Montgomery civil rights march.

After the brutal beating of Freedom Riders at a Montgomery Greyhound bus terminal, he restrained the city and the Klans from future wrongs against the protestors.

These rulings led to death threats and intimidations against Johnson and his family and made him an outcast in his Montgomery community. A cross was burned on his lawn, and his mother's home was bombed. His own son committed suicide and it was believed to be related to the pressure imposed on him and his family.

Judge Johnson did not yield to these unremitting social and political pressures. He continued to uphold the law.

Perhaps his commitment to civil rights had a lot to do with his upbringing. His roots were in Winston County, in the remote hills of northwest Alabama. A republican stronghold, Winston County rejected slavery and tried to secede from Alabama when Alabama seceded from the Union in 1861.

Calling itself "the free state of Winston," the county tried to remain neutral during the Civil War and sent more men to fight in the Union army than for the Confederacy.

Johnson was born and raised in Winston County near Haleyville. His father was a probate judge and his mother was a speech teacher who taught Lurleen Wallace in high school.

In his 44-year tenure as a federal judge, Johnson was ostracized by politicians and called the "most hated man in Alabama by the Ku Klux Klan.

His rulings during the civil rights era helped to strengthen the movement. Prominent civil right activists such as King and others were the "foot soldiers" who fought for justice and equality, but it was Johnson who helped to make their actions legal.

For his efforts, the Judge was awarded the nation's highest civilian award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 by President Bill Clinton.

After his death in 1999, Johnson was recognized by the U.S. Congress. The federal courthouse in Montgomery was renamed The Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and U. S. Courthouse.

The Alabama Senate, which 25 years earlier had called for his impeachment, honored Johnson by introducing a resolution that read in part:

"Whereas in time when men of lesser fortitude would have avoided direct confrontation of highly unpopular issues of school desegregation and voting rights for African Americans. Judge Johnson stood firm in upholding the constitution and the law ...

In life as well as in death Judge Johnson was the recipient of numerous honors.

For African Americans and those who appreciate justice, Johnson will always be remembered, perhaps not with awards but with a silent "thank-you" as they take advantage of the opportunities that his rulings have help to provide.

Doris Metcalf, a retired educator, is the author of 13 resource books. She received a bachelors degree from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa; a Master's degree from Ohio State University, Columbus; an EdS degree from the University of North Alabama, and gifted education certification from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.