Collins Denny, Jr.

Collins Denny Jr. (1899–1964) was a Virginia lawyer who became known for his opposition to racial integration. He was a legal counsel to public school boards, arguing against the integration of black students in Virginia.

Early life Collins Denny was born on June 10, 1899, in Nashville, Tennessee. His mother was Lucy Chase Chapman.

A vocal opponent of the United States Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education as well as member of Byrd Organization, Denny advised the public school boards of Surry County, Virginia, Powhatan County, Virginia and Prince Edward County, Virginia when they refused to accept black students. The Prince Edward County schools had remained closed for more than four years rather than accept integration when the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. Denny hoped to argue the case for segregation in March 1964, but died in January (so John Segar Gravatt handled the segregationist argument, which the Supreme Court not only rejected, but strongly rebuked in its May, 1964 opinion).