Georgia-born Frederick M. Coleman (1917–1989) came to Cleveland with his family as a child and attended the city’s public schools, graduating from East High School in 1936. After serving in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, Coleman was a lieutenant in the Officers’ Reserve Corps and then a member of the Ohio National Guard and Army Reserve. In 1949, he graduated from Western Reserve University with a degree in business administration, then went on to earn two degrees from Cleveland-Marshall Law School. He began his legal career in private practice, then ran unsuccessfully for Congress. During his subsequent 20-year public career, Coleman served as U.S. attorney for northern Ohio and as a judge in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and Cleveland Municipal Court. He served as president of the Federation for Community Planning and was active in the YMCA, Welfare Federation of Cleveland, Urban League, United Way, NAACP and Family Service Association.