Name James Farmer, Ex-spouse Pearl Houston Children James Farmer | Role Author | |
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Died May 14, 1961, Washington, D.C., United States Grandchildren Tami Lynn Farmer, Abbey Farmer People also search for James Farmer, Pearl Houston, Tami Lynn Farmer, Abbey Farmer, Winnie Christie, Lula Peterson | ||
James Leonard Farmer Sr. (June 12, 1886 – May 14, 1961), known as J. Leonard Farmer, was an American author, theologian, and educator. He was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and an academic in early religious history as well as theology.
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Early life and education
James Leonard Farmer was the son of farm workers and former slaves from Kingstree, South Carolina. His father was Carolina and his mother Lorena (Wilson) Farmer. After limited schooling in Georgia and Florida, Farmer gained a scholarship to Boston University. He earned his bachelor, masters of theology, and doctoral degrees at this institution.
Career
Farmer had a dual career as a minister and an academic. He was ordained as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He taught and mentored as a professor at several historically black colleges and universities in the South, including Huston-Tillotson and Wiley colleges in Texas; Rust College in Mississippi; and most notably Howard University in Washington, DC, from 1939 to 1946, returning to Texas to Huston as dean until his retirement in 1956. During this period, he served as an administrator as well as a professor.
Marriage and family
In 1917 Farmer married Pearl Marion. They had two children: Helen Louise and James L. Farmer, Jr.. Their son became a renowned civil rights leader during the Civil Rights Movement. A proponent of non-violent action, he was a co-founder of the Congress for Racial Equality and helped organize the Freedom Rides of 1961.