"Ceruti E.Burton" (1875-1927)

Was a prominent attorney and one of the founders of the Los Angeles branch of the NAACP.Ceruti was born on August 14,1875,in Nassau,Bahamas he moved to the U.S.when he was 4.Little else is known about Ceruti background or his childhood.Ceruti studied at Shaw and Howard Universities and at the Brookly Law School.The Brookly Law School was not authorized to grant its own degree until 1943.Instead,its graduates received their degrees from St.Lawrence University in Canton New York.Ceruti thus was awarded his law degree from St.Lawrence in 1911.He then moved to California and was admitted to that state's bar in 1912.Ceruti soon became known for his unflagging efforts to challenge discrimination against African Americans.W.E.B. Du Bois visted Los Angeles in 1913.His visit impressed many of the city's African American residents.Altough it is not known for certain if Ceruti met Du Bois,NAACP  records indicate that Ceruti took the lead in organizing a local branch of the NAACP soon after Du Bois visit.Ceruti was a vocal advocate of suppression of D.W.Griffith The Birth of a Nation.His public stand against the movie attracted many new members to the NAACP.Ceruti also led the branch successful efforts to end discrimination against African Americans by the Los Angeles County Hospital Training School for Nurses.In additional to his work in the field of civil rights,as an attorney Ceruti developed reputation for his successful employment of the "Insanity defense"Although Ceruti work as an attorney and his volunteer work for the NAACP kept him busy,he also belonged to a number of fraternal organizations.He served for several years as the Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge.He was a leader in the Knights of Pythias,and he was a charter member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.Ceruti died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure in Los Angeles on March 21, 1927.