Herb Ely, a pioneering Phoenix attorney whose legal work helped reshape civil-rights law across Arizona, has died at 92. Over decades, Ely pressed for protections in city halls and statehouses, helped found downtown’s Nash Jazz Club, and served as chair of the Arizona Democratic Party.
In a January 2024 interview with ABC15, Ely described growing up in rural Pennsylvania as “terrible” and recalled being tied to a tree, experiences he said pushed him toward civil-rights work. He moved to the Valley in the 1950s and later served as legal counsel for the Arizona chapter of the ACLU, according to the station.
He Drafted Arizona's 1965 Civil-Rights Law
According to the Phoenix New Times, Ely drafted the Arizona Civil Rights Act, which was signed into law on April 1, 1965. Arizona public radio KNAU notes that the statute banned discrimination in public accommodations, voting, housing, and employment, a measure activists say created a durable legal foundation in the state.
Officials and Colleagues Recall a Life of Service
After his passing earlier this month, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes called Ely’s work “a lasting mark on the community,” and Attorney General Kris Mayes said the state “has lost a giant,” as reported by ABC15. Their comments echoed tributes from lawyers, activists, and local leaders who credited Ely with drafting ordinances and laws that still protect Arizonans today.
Law, Music and Local Projects
Outside the courtroom, Ely helped shape Phoenix’s cultural life. He pushed to create the Nash Jazz Club and helped connect local organizers with national jazz figures, according to the Phoenix New Times. He also co-founded the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest and worked on low-income housing and other progressive causes, KNAU reported.
Ely’s death leaves a gap in Arizona’s civic life, but the laws and institutions he helped build remain part of his legacy. Colleagues remember him as a lawyer who believed courts and city councils could be tools for justice, and many say his work still points toward fights for equality that are far from finished.
