(1879-1972)
The Great Litigation
In 1918, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (White) sought, by injunction from the courts, to prevent the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of the Nobles of Mystic Shrine (Colored) from using the name, designation, letters, emblems and regalia as Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. This litigation began in the State of Texas and spread to wherever there was a Shrine Temple. The Nobles in Florida had some litigation within the State from the White Shriners. Noble Daniel Webster Perkins, a young brilliant lawyer who resided in the city of Tampa, Florida at that time, later moved to the city of Jacksonville, Florida, defended the Nobles in the state of Florida. The litigation lasted for fifteen years and was argued before the United States Supreme court January 12-13, 1928 and the decision was handed down, favorable to the Colored Shriners, June 3, 1929. Since that day we the Colored Shriners had no fear in carrying out the works of Nobles of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Every year at the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and South America and Its Jurisdictions, Inc, Imperial session Victory Ceremony, which is conducted to memorialized those patriarchs of the past, who had spearheaded the battle through fifteen years of litigaton, that won for the Imperial Council the right to pratice Shrnedom in the United States. The Nobles memorialized are Jacob Wright, No.7; Charles Cottrell, No.13; Caesar R. Blake, Jr., No. 51;Charles D. Freeman, No. 10;James E. White, No.44;John Wesley Dobbs, No. 128; David L. Muckle, No.12;Richard A. Theodore, No. 15;William C. Kilpatrick, No. 128; and Daniel W. Perkins, No.8.
D.W. Perkins the Man
Daniel Webster Perkins was one of Florida's first African American lawyers, having been officially admitted to the Florida Bar in 1914.
Mr. Perkins was born on January 9, 1879 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He earned degrees from North Carolina State Normal College in
1897, Temple University in 1899 and Shaw University Law School in 1902. After practicing law in Knoxville, Tennessee and Tampa, Florida,
he settled in Jacksonville in 1919, where he practiced until his death in 1972.
During his illustrious career, Attorney Perkins held positions of trust or authority in a host of professional, educational, civic and poliltical
organizations, including Masons, Knights of Pythias, Elks, Samaritans, Odd Fellows, Eastern Star, Heroines, Masonic Templars,
Woodsmen, Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, Business Men's League, Afro-American Council, Civic League, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,
U.S. Military Officers Training School, Florida Normal College, Bethune-Cookman College, Shaw University, NAACP, Urban League,
YMCA, Negro Business League, National Bar Association, Colored Lawyers Association and Shriners. He was also State Chairman of the
WPA Advisory Educational Council and Secretary of the State NYA Advisory Council. In 1942, Mr. Perkins wrote an article for The Crisis
which was featuring African-American life in Jacksonville. With regard to the Black lawyers in Jacksonville, Mr. Perkins wrote, "From earliest
times the colored lawyer here was educated, polished, cultured and refined and had enough common sense to obtain and retain the
confidence, respect and good will of the Bench, Bar, officers and the public." He continued, "Graduated in the best law colleges of the
country, they easily rank among the best in America whether judged from the standpoint of their winning laurels or accomplishing much to
protect the constitutional rights of the Race." The Crisis, January 1942 Mr. Perkins distinguished himself as a proponent of civil rights, a
community leader and a member of the bar who was genuinely interested in the careers of his younger Black colleagues. Accordingly, in
1968, the former Colored Lawyers Association changed its name in honor of D.W. Perkins, who had been a founding member.