The John Mercer Langston Bar Association has a very long history. Its earliest predecessor, the Blackstone Club, was founded in the 1920s. Attorney Hugh E. MacBeth, Sr. (1884-1956, HOF 1997) was president in 1927, and Attorney Ivan Johnson III (1902-1975, HOF 1990) was one of its most active supporters.
 
In 1939, the Blackstone Club became the Langston Law Club with strong support from early pioneers like Walter L. Gordon Jr., who died in 2012, two months before his 104th birthday, after practicing law for 66 years; the late Commissioner Vincent Monroe Townsend, Jr.; and the late Charles H. Matthews, Sr. (1906-1985, HOF 1990), who served as one of the presidents during the early years.
 
Other members include: Federal Judge David Williams (HOF 1990), Crispus Wright (HOF 1991), Curtis Taylor, A.C. McDowell, Willis O. Tyler, Judge Earl Broady Sr. (HOF 1990), Marshall Denton, Clarence Jones, and Justice Vaino Spencer (HOF 1991). Some of the past presidents include: Attorney Leo A. Branton, Jr., 1955,(HOF 1991); Judge Xenophon F.Lang, Sr., from 1956-58 (HOF 1992); Judge Attorney Carl A. Earles, from 1959-61 (HOF 1997); and Judge Stanley R. Malone, Jr., from 1964-68 (HOF 1991).
 
In 1968, with the assistance of Judge Dion G. Morrow (HOF 1998), the Langston Law Club became the John M. Langston Bar Association with Stanley R. Malone, Jr. as its first president. Judge Morrow was the second president from 1969-1971, and Judge Marcus O. Tucker (HOF 2001) was its third president.
 
Since 1971, Langston has continued to have dedicated members as well as hardworking presidents, including the late Carl Jones; the late Judge Maxine F. Thomas (HOF 2009), who was also the second president of the California Association of Black Lawyers; Judge Robert L. Roberson, Jr., (HOF 2000); Judge Allen J. Webster, Jr., (HOF 2009) who is also a past president of the National Bar Association; Commissioner Glenda Veasey; Judge John V. Meigs, Sr. (HOF 2014); Roland Coleman (HOF 2011), and Rachel Young, just to name a few.
 
Langston is an affiliate of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, National Bar Association, California Association of Black Lawyers, and Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California. Each year, Langston hosts many programs and activities, and also provides substantial scholarships to law students, continuing legal education for attorneys, free bar exam tutorials, attorney job fairs, mentoring programs for law students and young attorneys, judicial officer candidate evaluations, networking events, and pro bono legal services.