Tennessee civil rights lawyer George Barrett, known for desegregation case, dies at 86
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A longtime Tennessee civil rights lawyer known for his involvement in a case that ultimately desegregated the state's public colleges and universities has died.
Fellow law partners confirmed that George Barrett died Tuesday at a hospital. He was 86.
In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Barrett not only handled numerous civil rights cases, he also represented corporate whistleblowers and tackled securities fraud.
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He is perhaps best known as the attorney for a young Tennessee State University instructor named Rita Geier, who filed a lawsuit in 1968 accusing the state of operating a dual system of higher education for minorities. The case dragged on for 38 years.
Douglas Johnston Jr. was a founding partner alongside Barrett at the firm Barrett Johnston Martin & Garrison.
Johnston said his colleague was a giant of the civil rights movement.