Chevene Bowers King
Encyclopedia
Chevene Bowers "C.B." King (October 12, 1923 - March 15, 1988) was a pioneering African American attorney, civil rights leader, and politician in Georgia.
, King was one of eight children of Clennon Washington King, Sr.
and Margaret Slater King. Following graduation from a segregated high school in Albany, he served in the United States Navy
.
from Fisk University
in Nashville, Tennessee
in 1949 and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, Ohio
in 1952. While in law school, he married Carol Roumain. Although other promising opportunities were available to him, he decided to return home and become the only black attorney practicing in his community, and one of only three practicing in Georgia (outside of Atlanta).
, King was severely beaten and faced many threats to his life during a campaign described by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
as one of the crucial battles of the civil rights struggle. He ran political races for President, Congress and as the first black gubernatorial candidate in Georgia since Reconstruction to gain a forum for the causes he represented. He devoted much of his time to pro bono law work for the poor and to volunteering in community projects for the needy. He was most noted as the lead attorney in a series of landmark lawsuits against longstanding discriminatory practices.
in those communities, accelerating the pace of desegregation
in other areas); Anderson v. City of Albany and Kelly v. Page (reaffirming the right of citizens to peaceably assemble); Bell v. Southwell (ending the use of segregated polling booths
, voiding an election where separate booths were used); Brown v. Culpepper, Foster v. Sparks, Thompson v. Sheppard, Pullum v. Greene, Broadway v. Culpepper, and Rabinowitz v. United States (prohibiting use of jury selection lists on which blacks were underrepresented and ended the exclusion of blacks on juries on the basis of race); and Johnson v. City of Albany (ending discriminatory practices in local government employment).
, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
, and Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes.
Early years
Born in Albany, GeorgiaAlbany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
, King was one of eight children of Clennon Washington King, Sr.
Clennon Washington King, Sr.
Clennon Washington King, Sr. , born in Daugherty County in Albany, Georgia to Allen James King and Annie Bowers King, was a civil rights activist, Tuskeegee Institute student and chauffeur of Booker T. Washington...
and Margaret Slater King. Following graduation from a segregated high school in Albany, he served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Education
He received a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in 1949 and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
in 1952. While in law school, he married Carol Roumain. Although other promising opportunities were available to him, he decided to return home and become the only black attorney practicing in his community, and one of only three practicing in Georgia (outside of Atlanta).
A national figure
As an attorney, a civil rights leader, and a pioneering political candidate, C. B. King spent the remainder of his life contributing to the causes of justice, opportunity, and dignity for all Americans. Although he remained Albany-based throughout his career, limiting his activities primarily to the areas of southwest Georgia where he was raised, he became nationally-known. As a leader of the Albany MovementAlbany Movement
The Albany Movement was a desegregation coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, on November 17, 1961. Local activists, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were all involved in the movement. The movement was led by William...
, King was severely beaten and faced many threats to his life during a campaign described by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
as one of the crucial battles of the civil rights struggle. He ran political races for President, Congress and as the first black gubernatorial candidate in Georgia since Reconstruction to gain a forum for the causes he represented. He devoted much of his time to pro bono law work for the poor and to volunteering in community projects for the needy. He was most noted as the lead attorney in a series of landmark lawsuits against longstanding discriminatory practices.
Legal cases
Cases that he won include Gaines v. Dougherty County Board of Education, Lockett v. Board of Education of Muscogee County, and Harrington v. Colquitt County Board of Education (involving multiple appeals over a period of time to gain full compliance with Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
in those communities, accelerating the pace of desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
in other areas); Anderson v. City of Albany and Kelly v. Page (reaffirming the right of citizens to peaceably assemble); Bell v. Southwell (ending the use of segregated polling booths
Voting booth
A voting booth or polling booth is a room or cabin in a polling station where voters are able to cast their vote in private to protect the secrecy of the ballot. Commonly the entrance to the voting booth is a retractable curtain...
, voiding an election where separate booths were used); Brown v. Culpepper, Foster v. Sparks, Thompson v. Sheppard, Pullum v. Greene, Broadway v. Culpepper, and Rabinowitz v. United States (prohibiting use of jury selection lists on which blacks were underrepresented and ended the exclusion of blacks on juries on the basis of race); and Johnson v. City of Albany (ending discriminatory practices in local government employment).
Honors
Chevene Bowers King died in 1988 following a lengthy illness. The C. B. King United States Courthouse in Albany, Georgia was renamed in his honor in 2000. It is the first Federal Courthouse in the former Jim Crow South to be named for a black man and he is the fourth to receive this honor within the entire United States, the other three being the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
, and Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes.
External links
- Remarks on the naming of the C. B. King United States Courthouse, by Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Congressional RecordCongressional RecordThe Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...