Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born in Pin Point, Georgia on this day in history, June 23, 1948.
His entire family grappled with extreme poverty. His parents divorced when he was a toddler; Thomas’ father left the family when Clarence Thomas was only two years old. Eventually, Clarence Thomas was sent to live with his maternal grandfather following a house fire, multiple sources note.
Thomas’ grandfather had a profound impact on his life: Thomas even titled his 2008 memoir “My Grandfather’s Son.”
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“I even called him Daddy,” wrote Thomas in his book, “because that was what my mother called him … He was dark, strong, proud and determined to mold me in his image … He was the one hero in my life.”
Said Thomas in a September 2021 speech at the University of Notre Dame, “The single biggest event in my early life was going to live with my grandparents in 1955.”
As a young child, Thomas attended segregated Catholic schools for Black children.
He became the first Black student to be admitted to St. John Vianney, a Catholic minor seminary, said the website Oyez.
“My nuns and my grandparents lived out their sacred vocation in a time of stark racial animus, and did so with pride with dignity and with honor,” said Thomas at Notre Dame.
“To this day I revere, admire and love my nuns. They were devout, courageous and principled women,” he said.
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Despite his academic success at St. John Vianney, Thomas was the recipient of racially charged bullying, said Oyez.
Following graduation from St. John Vianney, Thomas intended on becoming a Catholic priest. He entered Immaculate Conception Seminary from 1967 to 1968.
He left seminary after again experiencing racism from classmates — and transferred to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
He graduated…
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