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Obituaries

Demetrius Newton | Rights lawyer, legislator, 85

Demetrius Newton, 85, a civil rights attorney who represented icons such as Rosa Parks and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before becoming the first black person to serve as speaker pro tem of the Alabama House, has died.

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Demetrius Newton, 85, a civil rights attorney who represented icons such as Rosa Parks and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before becoming the first black person to serve as speaker pro tem of the Alabama House, has died.

Rep. John Rogers of Birmingham, a longtime friend of Rep. Newton, says he was notified by the lawmaker's family that he died Wednesday after a long illness.

Gov. Robert Bentley, who served for eight years with Rep. Newton in the Alabama House, said Rep. Newton "will be greatly missed, not only by his own constituents - but also by the entire state of Alabama." - AP

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