Description
First edition of Just Friends and Brave Enemies by Robert F. Kennedy, inscribed to Circuit Court Judge Elbert Tuttle, a member of the “Fifth Circuit Four” who advanced civil and political rights of African Americans in the 1960s.
Octavo, xi, [blank], 211pp. Publisher’s black cloth, gilt title on spine. Includes 16 pages of black and white illustrations. Stated “first edition” on copyright page, with “F-M” noting publication in August 1962. Solid text block, appears unread. In the publisher’s first issue dust jacket, with $3.95 price on front flap and “0862” code at bottom, light wear to head of spine, a near fine example.
Signed on front free endpaper by Robert Kennedy with the following inscription: “For Judge Tuttle / With admiration and esteem / Robert Kennedy.” An exceptional association copy.
Judge Elbert Tuttle (1897-1996) was a member of the ?Fifth Circuit Four,? a group of judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, who played a crucial role in enforcing civil rights laws in the South during the 1960’s. Judge Tuttle was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. As Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit from 1960 to 1967, Tuttle and his colleagues issued several landmark rulings that advanced civil rights, including decisions that supported the desegregation of public schools and other institutions. His tenure on the bench was marked by a commitment to upholding federal civil rights laws, often in the face of strong local opposition. Tuttle continued to serve on the court until taking senior status in 1968, and he remained active in the legal community until his death in 1996.
