John F. Merchant

John F. Merchant (February 2, 1933 - March 5, 2020) was the first Black person to graduate from the UVA School of Law. He died on March 5, 2020.

Biography

Merchant was born to Garrett McKinley Merchant and Essie Louise Nolan Merchant in Greenwich, CT, where he grew up and attended schools. Following high school, he enrolled at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. He graduated from VUU in 1955.

After receiving his bachelor's degree, Merchant enrolled at UVA School of Law. He was not the first Black law student, as Gregory Swanson had been in 1950; Swanson, though, did not finish his program at UVA, so when Merchant graduated in 1958 he was the first Black student to graduate from the law program. His time at UVA was a difficult period in Merchant's life; in his autobiography, he called loneliness his "constant companion" in law school, as he was the only Black student, and was reminded of this fact daily.

Immediately following law school, Merchant joined the US Navy, where he first started playing golf, the sport that would become his passion. Merchant was often barred from playing at whites-only golf clubs, yet he continued to believe that the relationships built during play were so important that he would dedicate his later career to ensuring minorities could establish themselves.

Merchant's law career was a fruitful one. After firms in his hometown of Greenwich, CT refused to hire Black attorneys, Merchant, alongside L. Scott Melville and E. Eugene Spear, moved to Bridgeport and established the first Black law firm in Connecticut in 1962. He practiced civil and criminal law for nearly 50 years, and in his early career served as the community liaison for the "Action for Bridgeport" Community Development plan.

In 1987, at UVA's First Black Alumni Weekend Merchant established the Walter N. Ridley Scholarship Fund, which currently provides full-tuition scholarships to Black students through the Alumni Association.

Merchant would soon be bringing his legal talents to the golf world. In 1990, the PGA Championship was hosted at an all-white golf club, whose director had said he would never allow Black golfers to join or play at his course. The sport was forced to recognize its racist past and present, leading many to call for more minority players to be involved in the administrative side of golf. In 1992, Merchant joined the USGA (the sport's governing body) Executive Committee, becoming its first Black member.

In 1995, Merchant stepped down from the USGA Committee to become the Executive Director of the brand-new National Minority Golf Foundation, which under him brought together Black golfers, tour administrators, and companies like Nike and Titleist. That same year, at its centennial dinner, the USGA recognized John Shippen as having been the first Black golfer at the U.S. Open in 1896, to which Merchant exclaimed "It's about time!"

Notably, Merchant was legal counsel to Tiger Woods as he made the shift from amateur to professional golf. He met Woods' father at an event hosted by the National Minority Golf Foundation, and agreed to work for free to help the young star sign a deal with Nike and hire a long-time manager before the two parted ways in 1996.

In 1994, Merchant's daughter, Susan graduated from the UVA School of Law. He gave the keynote speech at her commencement, which he later said helped to validate the struggles he faced while a student. Susan was the first child of a Black law school alumnus to graduate from the Law School.

Frances Brand's portrait of John F. Merchant

During the 1970s, local artist Frances Brand did a portrait of Merchant as part of her "Firsts" series.

The National Black Golf Hall of Fame inducted Merchant in 2010.

Following a long illness, Merchant passed away in early 2020. He was remembered in several publications, including the UVA Alumni Magazine and the USGA's newsletter. He was recalled as a humble, strong man who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of those around him.