C. B. King

C. B. King
Name	C. B. King
Birth name	Chevene Bowers King
Birth date	July 12, 1923
Birth place	Albany, Georgia, U.S.
Death date	March 15, 1988
Death place	Albany, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater	Fisk University, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Occupation	Lawyer, civil rights activist
Known for	Civil rights litigation in Southwest Georgia
Spouse	Carol King

C. B. King. Chevene Bowers "C. B." King was a pioneering African American civil rights attorney in the Deep South whose fearless legal advocacy was central to the struggle for racial justice in Georgia. As the first Black lawyer in Southwest Georgia since Reconstruction, he represented activists, defended the wrongfully accused, and challenged the state's entrenched Jim Crow system through the courts, becoming a legendary figure in the movement.

Early life and education

Chevene Bowers King was born in 1923 in Albany, the seat of Dougherty County in a highly segregated region. He was the eldest of seven children. His brother, Slater King, would also become a prominent civil rights activist. King served in a segregated unit of the United States Army during World War II. After the war, he attended the historically Black Fisk University in Nashville, graduating in 1949. He then earned his law degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland in 1952, a path chosen partly because no law school in Georgia would admit Black students at the time.

Legal career and civil rights advocacy

After passing the Georgia Bar Examination, C. B. King opened a law practice in Albany in 1953, becoming the only Black attorney in Southwest Georgia. His practice immediately became a critical resource for the region's African American community, which had virtually no access to legal representation against a hostile white power structure. King aligned himself with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and worked closely with civil rights organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). His work encompassed defending voting rights activists, challenging police brutality, and suing for the desegregation of public facilities.

Key cases and legal battles

King litigated numerous landmark civil rights cases. He represented the family of Charlie Ware, a Black man shot by a Baker County sheriff while in custody, securing a rare federal indictment. He defended the "Albany Nine" students arrested for staging a sit-in at the Albany bus station. In a highly publicized 1963 incident, King was himself brutally beaten with a cane by the sheriff of Terrell County when he attempted to meet with a jailed client, drawing national outrage. He argued before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States, including in *Anderson v. City of Albany*, which pertained to protest permits. His relentless filings helped dismantle legal segregation in schools and public accommodations across the region.

Role in the Albany Movement

C. B. King was the chief legal strategist for the Albany Movement, a major desegregation campaign in 1961-62 that attracted leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and involved mass arrests of protesters. He provided crucial behind-the-scenes counsel, arranged bail, and filed lawsuits to challenge the city's injunctions and arrest tactics. While the movement's direct aims saw limited immediate success, it was a vital training ground for nonviolent resistance. King's legal work documented the city's resistance to federal civil rights law and laid the groundwork for future victories. His office served as a de facto headquarters and safe haven for organizers from SNCC and SCLC.

Political campaigns and public service

In a demonstration of political courage, C. B. King challenged Georgia's all-white political establishment by running for the United States House of Representatives in 1964 as a Democrat. Though he lost, his campaign was the first serious Congressional bid by a Black candidate in the state's rural south since Reconstruction. In 1970, he ran for governor of Georgia, finishing fifth in the Democratic primary but symbolically breaking a major racial barrier. Later, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as a regional director for the Community Services Administration. He remained a respected figure in Georgia legal circles until his death.

Legacy and impact

C. B. King's legacy is that of a legal warrior who used the judicial system as a primary weapon against racial segregation and injustice in one of the nation's most resistant areas. He mentored a generation of activists and lawyers, and his courageous practice inspired many to enter civil rights law. The C. B. King United States Courthouse in Macon is named in his honor, a rare federal tribute to a civil rights attorney. He is remembered for his unwavering commitment, personal sacrifice, and pivotal role in making the courts a battleground for equality in the American South. His life's work exemplifies the critical importance of legal advocacy within the broader Civil Rights Movement.

Category:American civil rights lawyers Category:Lawyers from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:1923 births Category:1988 deaths