Evening star., 1952-06-15
D. {. Recorder
OF Deeds 10 Be
Picked tuesday
5 Being Considered
For Job Open Since
Shepard Resigned
BY John w. Stepp

By John w. Stepp
The District Commissioners will
appoint a Recorder of Deeds Tues
day. and it was learned yesterday
that five men are considered cam
didates.
Commissioner F. Joseph Dono-
hue announced the appointment
date last night on his weekly
radio broadcast over Radio Sta
ton WWDC.
While Mr.. Donohue kept mum
on the commissioners choice for
the position. these candidates were
understood to be in the running
A. Oliver Thornton. As, deputy
Recorder of Deeds who has been
serving as acting recorder since
last September.
Hubert B. Pair, 48, an assistant
Corporation Counsel, often men,
toned in the past to fill vacan-
cies on the Municipal Court bench.
John B. Duncan. AZ, president
of the District Federation of Civic
Associations.
Woolsey w. Hall, SO, retired
Federal Official and former mem
ber of the Board of Education.
William 1. Houston. who is in
his 80s. a Washington lawyer
prominent in local and national
Democratic Party affairs.
The post has traditionally been
held by Negroes. The present
candidates are Negroes.
Vacant Since September.
The job became vacant last
September with the resignation
of the Rev. Marshall L. Shepherd.
It remained vacant when the
Senate rejected President Tru-
mans nomination of Earl Wayne
Beck. a fellow Missourian, and
the President refused to name any
one else.
Last month Congress passed
legislation transferring from the
President to the District Commits
sioners the power to appoint the
recorder. In signing the bill, Mr..
Truman urged that the vacancy
be filled promptly.
For years the job has been used
as reward for deserving members
of the political party in power.
The practice has met with much
local opposition, and the new bill
has been widely hailed here. It
requires five years residence IN
Washington.
Deputy Since 1946.
Mr.. Thornton, who was born in
st. Louis has been deputy record
er since 1946 when he came to
Washington. Before that time he
was a personnel director for q
Midwest munitions firm, was en-
gagged in advertising work and
served with the st. Louis office Of
United States Employment Ser
vices. He studied business admin
istration at Northwestern Uni
|versity.
In the District. Mr.. Thornton
is associated with the National
Association for the Advancement
of Colored People, the YMCA, Co.
lumbia Lodge No. IS of the Elks,
OF which he is also a grand travel
ling deputy; the Pigskin Club and
the Frontiers Club. He lives at
1919 r street NV.
Mr.. Pair has lived in the District
since infancy. He is a graduate of
Terrell Law School and was adj
mitted to the bar in 1898. Four
years later he was named to the
Corporation Counsel's office, and
since that time has done legal
work for the city government. He
has also served as legal advisor to
various District agencies, includ-
ing the Recorders office. Mr.. Pair
is a member Of the committee on
admissions and grievances of the
United States Court of Appeals.
Active in Many Groups.
He is active in Boy Scout lead
ership activities, president of the
Northwest Boundary Civic Asso-
citation and vice president of the
Northwest Council of Civic Asso-
Citations. Mr.. Pair is a trustee and
bible class teacher of Metropolitan
Baptist Church. His fraternal af-
f1liations include Corinthian Lodge
No. 18, Prince Hall Affiliation of
Masons; vice presidency of the
Acacia Masonic Hall Association,
and membership in the Washing
ton Bar Association, Sigma Delta
Tau legal fraternity and Phi Beta
Sigma. He lives at 918 Quincy
street NV.
Mr.. Duncan of 4423 E street
Sc, has been a Washington resi-
dent since 1927. He won bachelor
degree and a masters degree in
philosophy at Howard University
and a law degree from Terrell
Law School.
A Federal Government employe
for 18 years, Mr.. Duncan has
served with the Bituminous Coal
Commission, with the wartime
OPA and the Housing and Home
Finance Agency, where he is now
on the legal staff of the Slum
Clearance and Urban Redevelop-
ment Division.
MIR. Hall, of 1880 Wallach place
INV, served on the school board
IN 1950-51. A native and lifelong
resident, he was graduated from
Howard University Law School in
1924 and worked for the Federal
Government for As years, before
his retirement as purchasing as
sistant with the Treasury Depart
ment.
His civic activities have included
presidency Of the Civic Fedora
tion, vice presidency Of the WASH
ington Federation Of Churches
and membership in the Central
Civic Conference. In 1947, the
civic federation proposed him as
a District Commissioner. He has
taught Bible class and served as
an elder and trustee of the