His journey to the U.S. Supreme Court didn’t begin in the halls of Washington, D.C., for Clarence Thomas. Born in Pin Point, Georgia, he grew up during a time when racial segregation and poverty were common for many Black Americans. These early experiences were a big part of the story of his life and career.

Thomas eventually became a lawyer and held important government jobs. His appointment to the Supreme Court followed his appointment as chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which made him a national figure.

George H.W. Bush, president in 1991, nominated Thomas to fill the seat left vacant by Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court. The hearings turned out to be among the most closely followed and most hotly debated in American political history. Once confirmed, Thomas became one of the Court’s most reliably conservative voices. His views have influenced major debates on constitutional rights, government power, and the role of the judiciary.

Off the bench, he has discussed his childhood and career in his memoir, My Grandfather’s Son. He has also shaped the next generation of conservative lawyers and legal scholars. Whatever one’s views of his judicial philosophy, Thomas’s story is a remarkable American story, from a small Georgia community to the nation’s highest court.