Eisenhower Responds to Louisiana Governor on School Segregation Cases (1953)

Date: November 30, 1953

Created By: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Civil Rights, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 614, OF-142-A-4 Negro Matters – Colored Question – Segregation – Integration (3); NAID #12171146

This letter was written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Louisiana Governor Robert F. Kennon on November 30, 1953, several months before the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Responding to Kennon’s concerns regarding the pending school segregation cases, Eisenhower acknowledges the importance and complexity of the constitutional questions facing both the federal government and the states.

In his brief reply, Eisenhower explains that because the matter involves significant legal issues, he has forwarded Governor Kennon’s correspondence to Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. for review. He assures Kennon that the Attorney General will contact him directly regarding the issues raised. Although the letter does not express the President’s personal views on segregation, it demonstrates his reliance on the Department of Justice to address constitutional questions before the Supreme Court rendered its decision.