Jessie Pharr Slaton

Jessie Pharr Slaton
File:Jessie Pharr Slaton.jpg
Born	Template:Birth date Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	September 1, 1983(1983-09-01) (aged 75) near Sakhalin Island, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Alma mater	Wayne State University University of Detroit Law School
Occupation	Attorney

Jessie Pharr Slaton (1908–1983) was a pioneering American attorney. She was posthumously honored by induction into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1984, shortly following her tragic death aboard Korean Air Lines Flight 007.

Biography

Born in 1908 in Atlanta, Georgia, Slaton relocated with her family to Detroit, Michigan in 1918. It was in Detroit where she secured her initial employment in 1933 at the Detroit City Hall, serving as a secretary. This role distinguished her as one of the earliest African-Americans to hold a white-collar position within Detroit's municipal government. She resigned from this job at the outbreak of World War II and immediately pursued higher education at Wayne State University. Upon completing her studies, she became a special education instructor within the Detroit Public Schools schools system. Deeply committed to advocating for African-American rights, Slaton transitioned into law in 1942 following a conflict related to the Sojourner Truth Housing Project. After dedicating nine years to legal studies, she graduated from the University of Detroit Law School and subsequently practiced law for the city of Detroit. In 1972, she broke new ground as the first female referee appointed to the Recorder's Court Traffic and Ordinance Division. Six years later, she ascended to the role of Common Pleas Judge in Detroit before retiring. Shortly after retirement, she chaired the State Crime Victims Compensation Board and continued serving in similar roles until her final years.

On September 1, 1983, Slaton was traveling with six companions to Seoul, South Korea aboard Korean Air Lines Flight 007 for a two-week tour across the Far East. The plane was downed by the Soviet Air Force after it strayed into restricted Soviet airspace, resulting in the deaths of all 246 passengers and 23 crew members. Slaton’s remains were never recovered; however, a cenotaph commemorating her stands beside her husband George Henri’s grave—who passed away in 1975—at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.