Lemuel Penn
Encyclopedia
Lt. Col.
Lemuel Augustus Penn (September 19, 1915, Washington, D.C.
– July 11, 1964 in Madison County
, Georgia
) was a decorated veteran of World War II
and a United States Army Reserve
officer who was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan
in 1964, nine days after passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Of African American
descent, Lemuel Penn joined the Army Reserve from Howard University
and served in World War II
in New Guinea
and the Philippines
, earning a Bronze Star
. At the time of his murder, Penn, 49, was the assistant superintendent of Washington, D.C.
public schools and the father of two daughters and one son, Linda, 13, Sharon, 11, and Lemuel Jr., 5.
Penn was driving home, together with two other black Reserve officers, to Washington, D.C.
from Fort Benning where they were on a summer camp. Their Chevrolet Biscayne
was spotted by three white members of the United Klans of America
- James Lackey, Cecil Myers and Howard Sims - who noted its D.C plates. "That must be one of President Johnson's boys.", Howard Sims, one of the white killers evidently motivated by racial hatred, said then. Klansmen followed the car with their Chevy II. "I'm going to kill me a nigger," said Sims.
Just before the highway crosses the Broad River, the Klansmen's Chevy II pulled alongside the Biscayne. The Klansman, Cecil Myers, raised a shotgun and fired. From the back seat, Howard Sims, also a white member of the Ku Klux Klan, did the same.
Penn was shot to death on a Broad River
bridge on the Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County
, Georgia
, near Colbert
, twenty-two miles north of the city of Athens
. Soon Lackey, who was also of white European descent and a Klansman, Myers and Sims were identified as the ones who chased the trio of Army reservists. Sims and Myers, both members of the Ku Klux Klan
, were tried in state superior court but found not guilty by an all-white jury
. Federal prosecutors eventually charged both for violating Penn's civil rights
. They were tried and found guilty by a federal district court jury. Sims and Myers were sentenced to ten years and served about six in federal prison. Howard Sims was killed with a shotgun
in 1981 at age 58. James Lackey died at age 66 in 2002. Cecil Myers is still alive.
The historical marker erected by the Georgia Historical Society
, the Lemuel Penn Memorial Committee, and Colbert Grove Baptist Church
at Georgia Highway 172 and Broad River Bridge on the Madison/Elbert County Border states:
Out of Penn's murder arose the Supreme Court case United States v. Guest
, in which the Court affirmed the availability to apply criminal charges to private conspirators, who with assistance from a state official, deprive a person of rights secured by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Lemuel Augustus Penn (September 19, 1915, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
– July 11, 1964 in Madison County
Madison County, Georgia
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 5, 1811. As of 2000, the population was 25,730. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 28,012. The county seat is Danielsville....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
) was a decorated veteran of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
officer who was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in 1964, nine days after passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
descent, Lemuel Penn joined the Army Reserve from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
and served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, earning a Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
. At the time of his murder, Penn, 49, was the assistant superintendent of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
public schools and the father of two daughters and one son, Linda, 13, Sharon, 11, and Lemuel Jr., 5.
Penn was driving home, together with two other black Reserve officers, to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from Fort Benning where they were on a summer camp. Their Chevrolet Biscayne
Chevrolet Biscayne
-Biscayne Fleetmaster:In 1960, a lower-priced, sparsely trimmed version of the Biscayne called the Fleetmaster was produced. Aimed primarily at the fleet market, the Fleetmaster included a lower grade of upholstery than the standard Biscayne and deleted routine convenience items such as a cigarette...
was spotted by three white members of the United Klans of America
United Klans of America
United Klans of America Inc. was one of the largest Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States. Led by Robert Shelton, the UKA peaked in popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was the most violent Klan organization of its time. Its headquarters were the Anglo-Saxon Club outside...
- James Lackey, Cecil Myers and Howard Sims - who noted its D.C plates. "That must be one of President Johnson's boys.", Howard Sims, one of the white killers evidently motivated by racial hatred, said then. Klansmen followed the car with their Chevy II. "I'm going to kill me a nigger," said Sims.
Just before the highway crosses the Broad River, the Klansmen's Chevy II pulled alongside the Biscayne. The Klansman, Cecil Myers, raised a shotgun and fired. From the back seat, Howard Sims, also a white member of the Ku Klux Klan, did the same.
Penn was shot to death on a Broad River
Broad River (Georgia)
The Broad River is a tributary of the Savannah River in northeastern Georgia. The North Fork of the Broad River begins in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Stephens County, then joins the Middle Fork west of Royston in Franklin County to form the main stem. The Broad River continues...
bridge on the Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County
Madison County, Georgia
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 5, 1811. As of 2000, the population was 25,730. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 28,012. The county seat is Danielsville....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, near Colbert
Colbert, Georgia
Colbert is a city in Madison County, Georgia, United States. The population was 488 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Colbert is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, twenty-two miles north of the city of Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
. Soon Lackey, who was also of white European descent and a Klansman, Myers and Sims were identified as the ones who chased the trio of Army reservists. Sims and Myers, both members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, were tried in state superior court but found not guilty by an all-white jury
All-white jury
An "all-white jury" is an American political term used to describe a jury in a criminal trial, or grand jury investigation, composed only of white people, with the implication that the deliberations may not be fair and unbiased...
. Federal prosecutors eventually charged both for violating Penn's civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. They were tried and found guilty by a federal district court jury. Sims and Myers were sentenced to ten years and served about six in federal prison. Howard Sims was killed with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
in 1981 at age 58. James Lackey died at age 66 in 2002. Cecil Myers is still alive.
The historical marker erected by the Georgia Historical Society
Georgia Historical Society
Georgia Historical Society is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history...
, the Lemuel Penn Memorial Committee, and Colbert Grove Baptist Church
at Georgia Highway 172 and Broad River Bridge on the Madison/Elbert County Border states:
On the night of July 11, 1964 three African-American World War II veterans returning home following training at Ft. Benning, Georgia were noticed in Athens by local members of the Ku Klux Klan. The officers were followed to the nearby Broad River Bridge where their pursuers fired into the vehicle, killing Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn. When a local jury failed to convict the suspects of murder, the federal government successfully prosecuted the men for violations under the new Civil Rights Act of 1964, passed just nine days before Penn's murder. The case was instrumental in the creation of a Justice Department task force whose work culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
Out of Penn's murder arose the Supreme Court case United States v. Guest
United States v. Guest
United States v. Guest 383 U.S. 745 is a United States Supreme Court opinion, authored by Justice Potter Stewart, in which the court extended the protection of the 14th Amendment to citizens who suffer rights deprivations at the hands of private conspiracies, where there is minimal state...
, in which the Court affirmed the availability to apply criminal charges to private conspirators, who with assistance from a state official, deprive a person of rights secured by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Further reading
- Shipp, William. Murder at Broad River Bridge: The Slaying of Lemuel Penn by Members of the Ku Klux Klan. Atlanta, Ga: Peachtree Press, 1981. "Journalist Bill Shipp tells the tragic story of the murder of Army Colonel Lemuel Penn on the Broad River Bridge in July, 1964. Shipp details the climate of racial tensions in Athens during 1964, the events of the fateful night of Mr. Penn's murder, the subsequent investigation, the trial of the Klan suspects, and the Federal Civil Suit brought against the murder suspects." (Book description at University of Georgia civil rights project)