Carl Maxey

Carl Maxey was an American trial lawyer and civil rights leader and former collegiate athlete. First rising to prominence as a standout boxer nicknamed "King Carl" for Gonzaga University, he went undefeated with a 32–0 record in his college career and making Gonzaga co-champions of the 1950 NCAA Boxing Championship. After graduating from the Gonzaga University School of Law, becoming the first African-American to do so, he also became the first African-American in Spokane to complete the bar examination.

Maxey put his skills to work in fighting many cases involving racial discrimination in Spokane, gaining a reputation as a civil rights leader as well as a trial lawyer, taking many cases on a pro bono basis, becoming a force in the fight for equality under the law in Spokane and Washington as a whole. He had a brief stint living at the Spokane Children's Home orphanage until they stopped caring for African-American children, after which he and another African-American boy, Milton Burns, were surrendered to the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center as a refuge of last resort. After three months at the juvenile detention center, both of the children were taken in by a Jesuit priest, Father Cornelius E. Byrne to live at the Coeur d'Alene Mission of the Sacred Heart Indian school in Desmet, Idaho.

In the ring, Maxey was a formidable boxer with his tall stature and intimidating presence. Gaining the moniker "King Carl", he went undefeated in his collegiate career, garnering a 32–0 record and giving Gonzaga a share of the 1950 lightweight NCAA Boxing Championship, its first national title in any sport. Maxey became the first African-American man to graduate from the Gonzaga School of Law in 1951.

Death and legacy Carl Maxey died by suicide in his Spokane home on July 17, 1997, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head the day before he was expected to announce his retirement at age 73. According to his family, Carl was in good health, but his demeanor had noticeably changed in the weeks leading up to his death, with his wife reporting that he had seemed bothered about his upcoming retirement from the courtroom.

Honors Carl Maxey has received numerous rewards: 1982 - William O. Douglas Bill of Rights Award from the Washington State Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union 1988 - Charles A. Goldmark Award from the Legal Foundation of Washington 1988 - Gonzaga Athletic Hall of Fame 1993 - Gonzaga Law Medal from the Gonzaga University School of Law