He was arguably one of this generation’s most astute legal minds. But Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., was more than that. Like Thurgood Marshall, Charles Hamilton Houston, and Oliver W. Hill Sr., Ogletree used his legal prowess to significantly advance the cause of Black Americans.
Ogletree—who was affectionately known as “Tree”—died on Friday, after an eight-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The prominent Harvard Law professor was 70.
“Professor Ogletree was a once-in-a-century kind of law professor,” said Amos Jones, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who served as Ogletree’s research assistant during his time as a student at Harvard Law School. “He managed to practice at the very highest levels on behalf of the most marginalized, while also teaching and serving as a theorist at the very highest levels in the world. Those shoes cannot be filled.” 
Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.
Ogletree, whose career spanned the gamut of the legal profession, served in numerous roles, including rising through the ranks to become the deputy director of the District of Columbia Public Defender Service. His clients included everyone from the late rapper Tupac Shakur to Anita Hill, who he represented in 1991 after she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. In the early 2000s, Ogletree was actively seeking reparations on behalf of the survivors of the 1921 Tulsa, Oka., race riots.
It was reported that when Harvard’s Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was wrongfully arrested at his own house in 2009, the first thing that he said was “Get Tree!” Gates knew that Ogletree was not only a skillful lawyer and friend, but that he would see the case through, nationalizing the arrest and capturing headlines that ultimately resulted in President Obama getting involved.
Over the weekend, Obama and former first lady Michelle—who were both students of Ogletree during their time at Harvard Law School—joined the litany of other voices from across the world in expressing deep sadness over the death of their friend and former professor.
The Obamas pointed to the “Saturday School” that Ogletree initially created to provide Black students with the needed support system to help them get through their first year of law school.
