Martin Luther King Jr. | |
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1st President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference | |
In office January 10, 1957 – April 4, 1968 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Ralph Abernathy |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael King Jr. January 15, 1929 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | April 4, 1968 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 39)
Cause of death | Assassination by sniper |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Coretta Scott (m. 1953) |
Children | Yolanda Martin Dexter Bernice |
Parents | Martin Luther King Sr. Alberta Williams King |
Relatives | Christine King Farris (sister) Alfred Daniel Williams King (brother) Alveda King (niece) |
Education | Morehouse College (BA) Crozer Theological Seminary (BDiv) Boston University (PhD) |
Occupation | Minister, activist |
Known for | Civil Rights Movement, Peace movement |
Awards | Nobel Peace Prize (1964) Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977, posthumous) Congressional Gold Medal (2004, posthumous) |
Religion | Baptists |
Monuments | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial |
Signature |
Martin Luther King, Jr. (born Michael King, Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was best known for improving civil rights by using nonviolent civil disobedience, based on his Christian beliefs. Because he was both a Ph.D. and a pastor, King was sometimes called the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. (abbreviation: the Rev. Dr. King), or just Dr King. He is also known by his initials MLK. He was the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.