to doing. “In the pit of your stomach you thought that he might have entrusted with you more reasonability than you could shoulder,” recalls Goldblatt. “But I do think that his demonstration of faith in us was good. It allowed us to accomplish more than we otherwise might have.” During the Michigan cases, Payton
trusted then-midlevel associate Goldblatt with taking a vital deposition and question- ing a key witness. “T e national spotlight was trained on Michigan. Payton might have very well handled everything himself, but he thought it would be good for me and make me grow as lawyer. Of course, I was scared to death, but he was right.” Danielle Conley, a litigator at WilmerHale
32
since 2006, says Payton was a champion of recruitment and retention of lawyers of color. “It was John who convinced me that Wilmer was the place where I could be in private practice and still work on civil rights and social justice issues. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am forever grateful.” While colleagues at the fi rm were sorry to
see him leave for the LDF, they understood the importance of the move. As president and director-counsel, Payton was the sixth person hired to fi ll a position created and fi rst held by T urgood Marshall. It was historic really, says Goldblatt, and made a perfect capstone to Payton’s long and illustrious career. T ose who knew him agree, Payton’s sense
All historical photos courtesy of Pomona College.
of humor ranked high among his myriad estimable qualities. “T ough John was a man of impressive bearing and seriousness,” says Adegbile, “he had an impish sense of humor. We teased each other mercilessly. I’ll miss that a lot.” Payton’s wife, Gay McDougall, concurs. “When we’d go to
dinner with friends, ours would inevitably be the loudest table in the restaurant because John would be making us laugh so hard. Fun and humor were a part of everything we’d do.” Payton was born in Los Angeles in 1946. “His parents
were both highly motivated,” says McDougall. “His mother [Ida Mae Payton] was a school teacher. She died when John was about 19. His father [John Payton Sr.], whom I got to know quite well, was an insurance adjuster for one of the
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JULY/AUGUST 2012
TOP: POMONA COLLEGE CARNEGIE BUILDING CIRCA 1965 BOTTOM: JOHN PAYTON AT BOTTOM LEFT
fi rst West Coast companies to insure African Americans; he was an intellectual in his own right.” Both siblings and friends from his early days agree,
adds McDougall, Payton possessed an exceptional intellect. From the beginning he was a voracious reader, intrigued by many disciplines including history, math, science, and literature. He enrolled at Pomona College in California in 1965 where, as one of the few black students on campus, he was
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