Thomas Kilgore Jr.

This article is about clergyman and human rights activist. For the founder of Cross Plains, Tennessee, see Thomas Kilgore.

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

The Reverend Thomas Kilgore Jr.
Kilgore in 1979
Personal
Born	Thomas Kilgore Jr. (1913-02-20)February 20, 1913 Woodruff, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	February 4, 1998(1998-02-04) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Religion	Christianity Protestantism
Spouse	Jeannetta Miriam Scott ​ ​ (m. 1936)​
Denomination	Baptist
Education	Morehouse College
Profession	Clergyman
Senior posting
Profession	Clergyman

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 the latter was only 2+1⁄2 years old.^[1]

When the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded in the late 1950s, Kilgore 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. There he 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

1. Lytle, James (February 16, 1998). "Rev. Thomas Kilgore Jr., Civil Rights Leader, Adviser to Three USC Presidents, Dies". USC. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2020.