Born in Washington, D.C., Charles Houston received his Bachelor’s degree from Amherst College in 1915. He taught English at Howard University from 1915 to 1917. He received his L.L.B. from Harvard in 1922, and in 1923 he became the first African American to receive a Doctorate of Juridical Science from Harvard. Houston maintained a private practice in D.C. until 1950 and taught at Howard's Law School from 1924 to 1929. In 1929 he was made vice dean of the law school, a position he held until 1935. He was special counsel for the N.A.A.C.P. from 1935 to 1940 and advisor to Thurgood Marshall.

Source:
McNeil, Gena Rae. “Houston, Charles Hamilton.” American National Biography Online. February 2000. http://www.anb.org/articles/15/15-00346.html. 28 March, 2005.

 Who’s Who in Colored America . Ed. Thomas Yenser. 5 th ed. Thomas Yenser: New York, 1940. pg. 262.