A celebration of life for former Ambassador George W. Haley, who was also a former state senator representing Kansas City, Kan., will be held at noon Saturday, July 11, at St. Peter CME Church, 1419 N. 8th St., Kansas City, Kan. Haley, 89, died May 13 in Silver Spring, Md.
Haley and a fellow senator from Wichita elected the same year, 1964, became the first two blacks to serve in the Kansas Senate, breaking a barrier that existed since the Legislature was established in 1861.
Haley had started his law practice in Kansas City, Kan., as a partner of Stevens, Jackson, Davis and Haley. He later became deputy city attorney for the city of Kansas City, Kan.
A 1949 graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., where he was a contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr., Haley also graduated from the law school at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, becoming the second black to receive a law degree there in 1952. His experiences at the University of Arkansas were the subject of an article 1963 by his late brother, Alex Haley, titled “The Man Who Wouldn’t Quit.” [http://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/george-haley-the-man-who-wouldnt-quit/]
He was one of several attorneys who worked on the Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education case.
In 1969 George Haley moved to Washington, D.C., after being appointed to a position in the federal government. He worked in the federal government under seven presidents. Former President Bill Clinton named him the U.S. ambassador to The Gambia in West Africa.
George Haley, a native of Henning, Tenn., was married to Doris Moxley in 1954. She was a teacher at Sumner High School and Northeast Junior High School in Kansas City, Kan.
Besides Doris Haley, survivors include a son, Sen. David Haley, of Kansas City, Kan.; and Anne Haley Brown of Los Angeles, Calif. George was preceded in death by his brothers, Alex Haley and Julius Haley.
The family suggests memorial gifts to the Sen. Haley Youth Policy Debates or to the George Haley Baseball Field (the former 3&2 field being renovated by the Cal Ripken Jr. Association).