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Biography
James Farmer is Notable.
James Farmer was born in Texas.
This profile is part of the Farmer Name Study.
James Leonard Farmer Jr. was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the initiator and organizer of the first Freedom Ride in 1961. He was co-founder of the Committee for Racial Equality and served as its first national chairman from 1942 to 1944.[1]
James Leonard Farmer was born on 12 Jan 1920 in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas, United States, son of James Leonard Farmer (1886–abt. 1961) and Pearl Marion Houston (1893– ).
In the 1930 census, James (age 10) was the son of James Farmer in Austin, Travis, Texas, United States.[2]
In the 1940 census, J (age 20) was the single son of J Leonard Farmer in Police Precinct 10, Washington, District of Columbia, United States.[3]
James registered for the World War II draft on 2 Jul 1941 in Washington, Washington County, District of Columbia, United States.[4]
James married Lula A. Peterson on 20 May 1949 in Manhattan, New York.[5]
In the 1950 census James (age 30), Lecturer & Coritor, was the married head of household in New York City, New York, United States.[6]
James was mentioned in the obituary of his father Rev James Leonard Farmer on 15 May 1961 in Washington, Washington County, District of Columbia, United States.[7]
James was mentioned in the obituary of his mother Pearl H Farmer on 21 Apr 1966 in Washington, Washington County, District of Columbia, United States.[8]
James was mentioned in the obituary of his mother Pearl H Farmer on 22 Apr 1966 in Washington, Washington County, District of Columbia, United States.[9]
James was mentioned in the obituary of his brother Nathanial Jones Farmer on 29 Apr 1970 in Washington.[10]
James was mentioned in the obituary of his wife Lula A Farmer on 18 May 1977 in Washington.[11][12]
James Farmer died 9 Jul 1999 (aged 79) in Fredricksburg, Virginia,[13][14] and was cremated with a memorial page on FindAGrave.com.[15]
James Farmer was in an obituary on 11 Jul 1999 in Spokane, Washington which identifies him as the one who brought Mahatma Gandi's practices of nonviolent protest techniques to the American Civil Rights movement as the first of the "Big Four" (including Martin Luther King, Jr, Roy Wilson, and Whitney Long). .[16]
James Farmer was in an obituary on 10 Jul 1999 in Lewiston, Idaho which identied him as Civil rights pioneer who would be remembered as one of Big Four civil rights leaders[17]
James Farmer was in the Associated Press Archive on 10 July 1999.[18]
CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER JAMES FARMER DIES AT 79 the Times Union declared on 10 July 1999.[19]
Dallas Morning News stated that James Farmer fought segregation, led famous Freedom Ride of 1961[20]
Sources
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "James Farmer," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Farmer&oldid=998144730 (accessed January 6, 2021).
- ↑ 1930 Census:
"United States, Census, 1930", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: T626; Line: 42; Digital film/folder number: 004955258; FHL microfilm: 2342136; Image number: 370; Sheet number: 8; Sheet letter: A; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N03716-5
FamilySearch Record: H2MR-3ZM (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9R87-V5P
James Farmer Jr (10), single son, in household of James Farmer (42) in Austin, Travis, Texas, United States. Born in Texas.1930 United States Federal Census: Austin, Travis, Texas, United States Name Sex Race Age Status Relation Occupation Birth Place James Farmer M Negro 42 Married Head South Carolina Pearl Farmer F Negro 35 Married Wife Florida Helen L Farmer F Negro 11 Single Daughter Texas James Farmer Jr. M Negro 10 Single Son Texas Nathaniel Farmer M Negro 2 Single Son Texas - ↑ 1940 Census:
"United States, Census, 1940", database with images
citing Affiliate Publication Number: T627; Line: 10; Digital film/folder number: 005461952; Image number: 574; Sheet number: 62; Sheet letter: A
FamilySearch Record: K73M-Y1D (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-89M1-PVTQ
J Leonard Farmer (20), single son, in household of J Leonard Farmer (54) in Police Precinct 10, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Born in Texas.1940 United States Federal Census: Police Precinct 10, Washington, District of Columbia, United States Name Sex Race Age Status Relation Occupation Birth Place J Leonard Farmer M Negro 54 Married Head South Carolina Pearl M Farmer F Negro 47 Married Wife Florida Helen L Farmer F Negro 21 Single Daughter Texas J Leonard Farmer M Negro 20 Single Son Texas Nathaniel J Farmer M Negro 12 Single Son Texas - ↑ Military:
"District of Columbia, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", database with images
citing Affiliate Publication Title: World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the District of Columbia; Affiliate Publication Number: 301658; Digital film/folder number: 101697744; Image number: 205
FamilySearch Record: QKJ1-642L (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS3Q-HWQF-X
Name: James Leonard Farmer; Race: Black; Occupation: Student; Residence Place: Washington, District Of Columbia, United States; Birth Date: 12 Jan 1920; Birth Place: Marshall, Texas; Military Draft Registration Date: 02 Jul 1941; Military Draft Registration Place: Washington, District of Columbia, United States; Weight: 190; Complexion: Black; Hair Color: Black; Eye Color: Brown; Height: 6; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑
"New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018"
New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 18
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61406 #1752852 (accessed 2 September 2023)
Marriage License Date: 20 May 1949; License Number: 12426; Name: James L Farmer Jr; Gender: Male; Spouse: Lula A Peterson; Marriage License Place: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. - ↑
1950 Census:
"United States 1950 Census"
citing Page: 75; Line: 3; Digital film/folder number: 108842743; Image number: 25
FamilySearch Record: 6XPW-GRF1 (accessed 2 September 2023)
FamilySearch Image: 3QHJ-5QHW-98QL
James L Farmer (30), married, Lecturer & Coritor, head of household in New York City, New York, United States. Born in Texas. - ↑ Obituary of father Rev James Leonard Farmer:
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.; Digital film/folder number: 101903544; Image number: 551
FamilySearch Record: QPBX-TCY2 (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS7Q-4SLK-8
Name: James L, Jr; Residence Date: 13 May 1961; Residence Place: New York City; Source Newspaper: Evening Star; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑ Obituary of mother Pearl H Farmer:
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.; Digital film/folder number: 101903549; Image number: 411
FamilySearch Record: Q53P-5PT2 (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS7Q-H9GD
Name: James L Farmer; Source Newspaper: Evening Star; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑ Obituary of mother Pearl H Farmer:
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.; Digital film/folder number: 101903549; Image number: 416
FamilySearch Record: Q53K-2JN7 (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS7Q-H983
Name: Mr James L; Source Newspaper: Evening Star; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑ Obituary of his brother Nathanial Jones Farmer:
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.; Digital film/folder number: 101903553; Image number: 447
FamilySearch Record: QPBF-DX9X (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS7Q-HHCJ
Name: James L Farmer; Occupation: Assistant Secretary Of Health; Source Newspaper: Evening Star; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑ Obituary of wife Lula A Farmer:
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.; Digital film/folder number: 101903564; Image number: 1150
FamilySearch Record: Q53L-XS98 (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS7Q-H9QY-C
Name: James; Source Newspaper: Evening Star; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑ Obituary of wife Lula A Farmer:
"United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database with images
citing Affiliate Name: GenealogyBank, Inc.; Digital film/folder number: 101903564; Image number: 1149
FamilySearch Record: Q532-NB2P (accessed 5 December 2024)
FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-CS7Q-H9QY-H
Name: James; Source Newspaper: Evening Star; System Of Record: SLS. - ↑ Death:
"United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database
citing Digital film/folder number: DI0001099
FamilySearch Record: 6K3J-P6C1 (accessed 5 December 2024)
James Leonard Farmer Jr death 9 Jul 1999 (born 12 Jan 1920) residing in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Virginia, United States. - ↑ Death:
"United States, Social Security Death Index", database
citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing)
FamilySearch Record: JPXT-1MS (accessed 5 December 2024)
James Farmer death 9 Jul 1999 (born 12 Jan 1920) in Spotsylvania, Virginia. - ↑ Memorial:
"Find a Grave", database
Find A Grave: Memorial #253544181 (accessed 5 December 2024)
Memorial page for James Leonard Farmer Jr. (12 Jan 1920-9 Jul 1999); Maintained by PhillyTR (contributor 49002914). - ↑ Obituary: Farmer Remembered for Pioneering Civil Rights Work. The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington) · 11 Jul 1999, Sun · Page 9
- ↑ Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho), obit for Civil rights pioneer James Farmer dies; James Farmer remembered as one of Big Four civil rights leaders, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/0FCC931158FF460D-0FCC931158FF460D: accessed 18 March 2021)
Lewiston Morning Tribune (ID) - Saturday, July 10, 1999
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- James Farmer, a civil rights pioneer who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation and served alongside Martin Luther King Jr., died Friday. He was 79.
Farmer, who had been in ill health in recent years, died at a hospital, according to Ron Singleton, a spokesman for Mary Washington College where Farmer was a professor. No further details were available.
"He was an authentic activist willing to challenge obscene laws and unfair customs through nonviolent direct action," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
"He was an authentic activist. He challenged injustice at its root," Lowery said. "He was willing to take to the streets and stimulate and precipitate. He was a catalyst."
Farmer had taught at Mary Washington College since 1985, and battled pneumonia and complications from diabetes that included blindness for the past five years.
As one of the founders of the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942, Farmer was called one of the Big Four civil rights leaders in the 1960s, with King, NAACP chief Roy Wilkins and Urban League head Whitney Young. Farmer was the last surviving member of the group.
Farmer's most celebrated accomplishment as head of CORE was to lead the 1961 Freedom Rides, a nonviolent effort to desegregate interstate buses and terminals. However, participants encountered violence.
Farmer helped recruit CORE members James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, all of whom were murdered in Mississippi in 1964 during the Freedom Rides. Their slayings were the subject of the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
In the early 1960s, Farmer often faced threats of violence himself.
"Anyone who said he wasn't afraid during the civil rights movement was either a liar or without imagination," he said in a 1991 interview. "I think we were all scared. I was scared all the time. My hands didn't shake but inside I was shaking."
President Clinton last year presented Farmer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
Farmer was born in Texas and grew up in Mississippi. He entered Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, in 1934 as a 14-year-old freshman. He graduated from theological school at Howard University in 1941. He was a conscientious objector during World War II.
Farmer remembered isolated incidents of racism during his childhood, but it wasn't until he was at Wiley that he began to agonize over segregation. After college, he worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation and started contemplating how to change racist practices in America. He became a proponent of Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent methods, something King later espoused.
Division within CORE over leadership and direction led Farmer to resign in 1966, and he settled into a quieter life.
- ↑ James Farmer - Associated Press Archive
() 10 July 1999, obit for James Farmer, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/11017844F063E8B0-11017844F063E8B0: accessed 18 March 2021)
James Farmer
Deaths
Associated Press Archive - Saturday, July 10, 1999
James Farmer, who served alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights giants of the 1950s and '60s, died Friday. He was 79.
Farmer, a founder of the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942, was considered one of the Big Four civil rights leaders in the 1960s, with King, NAACP chief Roy Wilkins and Urban League head Whitney Young.
Farmer's most celebrated accomplishment as head of CORE was to lead the 1961 Freedom Rides, a nonviolent effort to desegregate interstate buses and terminals. However, participants encountered violence.
Farmer helped recruit CORE members James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, all of whom were murdered in Mississippi in 1964 during the Freedom Rides. Their slayings were the subject of the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
Farmer moved to the Fredericksburg area in 1980 to write his autobiography, "Lay Bare the Heart." The book charted his involvement in that struggle, and also his personal observations about gradually going blind from a rare ailment called retinal vascular occlusion.
President Clinton last year presented Farmer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
- ↑ CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER JAMES FARMER DIES AT 79
Times Union, The (Albany, New York) 10 July 1999, obit for CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER JAMES FARMER DIES AT 79, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/0FAE54C79959B46E-0FAE54C79959B46E: accessed 18 March 2021)
Civil Rights Pioneer James Chaney Farmer
CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER JAMES FARMER DIES AT 79
Times Union, The (Albany, NY) - Saturday, July 10, 1999
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- James Farmer, a civil rights pioneer who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation and served alongside Martin Luther King Jr., died Friday. He was 79.
Farmer, who had been in ill health in recent years, died at a hospital, according to Ron Singleton, a spokesman for Mary Washington College where Farmer was a professor. No further details were available.
He was an authentic activist, willing to challenge obscene laws and unfair customs through nonviolent direct action, said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
He challenged injustice at its root, Lowery said. He was willing to take to the streets and stimulate and precipitate. He was a catalyst.
Farmer had taught at Mary Washington College since 1985, and battled pneumonia and complications from diabetes that included blindness for the past five years.
As one of the founders of the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942, Farmer was called one of the Big Four civil rights leaders in the 1960s, with King, NAACP chief Roy Wilkins and Urban League head Whitney Young. Farmer was the last surviving member of the group.
Farmer's most celebrated accomplishment as head of CORE was to lead the 1961 Freedom Rides, a nonviolent effort to desegregate interstate buses and terminals. However, participants encountered violence.
Farmer helped recruit CORE members James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, all of whom were murdered in Mississippi in 1964 during the Freedom Rides. Their slayings were the subject of the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning.
In the early 1960s, Farmer often faced threats of violence himself.
President Clinton last year presented Farmer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
It's a high honor, and I'm grateful it came before I died, Farmer said when he learned of the award. It's a vindication. I certainly was ignored and forgotten.
Farmer was born in Texas and grew up in Mississippi. He entered Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, in 1934 as a 14-year-old freshman. He graduated from theological school at Howard University in 1941. He was a conscientious objector during World War II.
Farmer remembered isolated incidents of racism during his childhood, but it wasn't until he was at Wiley that he began to agonize over segregation. After college, he worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation and started contemplating how to change racist practices in America. He became a proponent of Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent methods, something King later espoused.
Division within CORE over leadership and direction led Farmer to resign in 1966, and he settled into a quieter life. He taught at Lincoln University and New York University. Later he made an unsuccessful run for Congress against Shirley Chisholm, who by defeating Farmer became the first black woman to serve in Congress. - ↑ James Farmer fought segregation led famous Freedom Ride of 1961
James Farmer fought segregation led famous Freedom Ride of 1961, By Bryan Woolley and Joe Simnacher, Dallas Morning News, 10 July 1999 As reproduced in The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, 10 Jul 1999, Sat • Page 26
(http://familysearch.org/patron/source/photoId/109576663 : 5 July 2020)
OBITUARIES The Sacramento Bee
James Farmer fought segregation led famous Freedom Ride of 1961
By Bryan Woolley and Joe Simnacher Dallas Morning News
James Leonard Farmer Jr the last remaining member of the “Big Four” who led the fight for desegregation and racial equality in America during the 1950s and ’60s died Friday in a Fredericksburg Va hospital He was 79 and had been in failing health for several years
Mr Farmer a native of Marshall Texas co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality known as CORE in Chicago in 1942 and a few months later at a Chicago coffee shop began what he believed to be the first organized sit-in in US history
He also organized and led the famous Freedom Ride of 1961 which took black and white protesters on Greyhound and Trail-ways buses from Washington DC to Jackson Miss to challenge the Jim Crow laws requiring racial segregation in public transportation
‘We got the front seat on the bus” he said “We got to sit down at the counter and eat a hot dog We got to ride where we wanted to without being dehumanized by segregation”
Because of his involvement in the civil rights cause Mr Farmer endured a number of beatings and jailings and barely escaped lynching one night in Louisiana where he was leading a protest against police brutality He took refuge in a funeral home and later got away in the back of a hearse
Twenty years later Mr Farmer would write in his autobiography “Lay Bare the Heart” “If any man says that he had no fear in the action of the ’60s he is a liar”
Mr Farmer began using the James Farmer Jr nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi almost two decades before Dr Martin Luther King Jr employed them in the Montgomery Bus Boycott But in the years since his accomplishments had been almost lost in the shadow of Dr King and to a lesser degree the other members of the “Big Four” - Roy Wilkins of the NAACP and Whitney Young of the National Urban League
President Clinton remedied that in January 1998 when he presented to Mr Farmer the Medal of Freedom the highest government honor a civilian may receive
‘The changes he wrought are with us to this day” the medal citation read “Our nation proudly salutes James Farmer for his extraordinary work to combat discrimination and bring racial harmony and healing to our land”
Mr Farmer who over the years had lost his eyesight and both legs to diabetes was given the medal he couldn’t see and kissed it “It feels wonderful” he said
Mr Farmer was born on Jan 12 1920 in Marshall. He was the son of Dr James Leonard Farmer a Methodist minister who was the first African American in Texas to hold the PhD degree. His mother Pearl was educated to be a teacher but quit her job when she married.
Six months after the child’s birth the church transferred Dr Farmer a biblical scholar to a teaching post at Rust College in Holly Springs Miss
Although the family occupied a position of prestige in the African American community Mr Farmer experienced the humiliation of racial segregation at the tender age of 3. While shopping with his mother on a hot day in Holly Springs the child asked to go into a drugstore and buy a Coke with a nickel his father had given him
His mother almost in tears told him he couldn’t be served there because of his race
“Up through the years I had a recurring dream about that day” Mr Farmer said last year “I dreamed about it so much that I wasn’t sure it had really happened As I was approaching adulthood I asked my mother about it She remembered it as clearly as I did So it did happen It was not just a recurring dream It was a reality which had buried itself in the subconscious and had become a dream”
Although diabetes devastated his body in his later years Mr Farmer continued to teach a course in the history of the civil rights movement at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg Va He lectured without notes and “Lay Bare the Heart” served as the textbook
Reflecting on the results of his career he said “By and large we killed Jim Crow In some places he still wriggles and writhes but that’s rigor mortis setting in”
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