Thomas Kilgore Jr.

Thomas Kilgore Jr.
The Reverend; Thomas Kilgore Jr.
Personal
Born	Thomas Kilgore Jr.; February 20, 1913; Woodruff, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	February 4, 1998 (aged 84); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Religion	Christianity Protestantism
Spouse	former Jeannetta Miriam Scott (m. 1936; his death 1998)
Denomination	Baptist
Education	Morehouse College
Profession	Clergyman
Senior posting
Profession	Clergyman

Thomas Kilgore Jr. was a prominent clergyman, community leader, and human rights activist. He helped organize the March on Washington.[1]

Biography

Kilgore was born in Woodruff, South Carolina. While a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta, he attended Ebeneezer Baptist Church, which was headed by the Reverend A. D. Williams, the maternal grandfather of Martin Luther King Jr. It was through this association that he got to know the King family. He first met Martin Luther King when he was only 2 ¹⁄₂ years old.[1]

When the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded in the late 1950s, he managed their New York office. In 1963, he helped organize the March on Washington.[1] Also in 1963, Kilgore became pastor of Second Baptist Church, the oldest black Baptist church in Los Angeles and established the first chapter of SCLC west of the Rockies.[1] He led Second Baptist Church until his retirement in 1985.[1]

Kilgore died in Los Angeles on February 4, 1998. He was 84 years old.[1]

References

Lytle, James (February 16, 1998). "Rev. Thomas Kilgore Jr., Civil Rights Leader, Adviser to Three USC Presidents, Dies". USC. University of Southern California. Retrieved August 15, 2020.

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[USC-Obit-1] Lytle, James (February 16, 1998). "Rev. Thomas Kilgore Jr., Civil Rights Leader, Adviser to Three USC Presidents, Dies". USC. University of Southern California. Retrieved August 15, 2020.