In February 1946, a struggle between African American World War II veteran James Stephenson and a white shopkeeper over a radio repair order sparked a riot in Columbia, fueled by law enforcement officers who raided the African American business district without search warrants and confiscated weapons. Police arrested more than 100 African American men and charged 25 with attempted murder. With a legal defense team of Z. Alexander Looby, Thurgood Marshall, Leon Ranson, and Maurice Weaver, an all-white jury acquitted 23 of the 25 men. Because of this incident and others in the South, President Harry Truman established the President's Committee on Civil Rights. In 1891, former slave J.M. Morton established the first undertaking business to serve African Americans in Maury County. Later known as A.J. Morton and Sons Funeral Home, the business was owned and operated by Morton's descendants for almost 100 years. Located in the center of the African American business district, the funeral home was vandalized during the 1946 Columbia Race Riot. Owner James E. Morton was charged as an accessory before the fact in connection with the riot but was acquitted. The incident was the first major post-World War II racial incident in the state and demonstrated African Americans' willingness to openly oppose de jure segregation.