Jesse Hill Jr.

Jesse Hill, Jr.
Born (1926-05-30)May 30, 1926
St. Louis, Missouri
Died December 17, 2012(2012-12-17) (aged 86)
Atlanta, Georgia
Alma mater University of Michigan
Occupation civil rights leader, business executive, and actuary
Spouse(s) Azira Hill
Parent(s) Jesse Hill
Nancy Dennis Martin

Jesse Hill, Jr. (May 30, 1926 – December 17, 2012)[1] was an American civil rights leader, business executive, and actuary.

Hill was CEO of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. He was also a confidant of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is a black pioneer and activist who pushed several civil rights initiatives.

Hill was the first black president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the first black member of the Georgia Board of Regents, and the first black member of the Board of Directors for Rich's Department Store.[2]

He chaired the All-Citizens Registration Committee and helped to desegregate the Atlanta Public School system. He was one of the leading figures to desegregate the University System of Georgia.

Hill created the black newspaper The Atlanta Inquirer which covered racial tensions, sit-ins, and protests.

Governor Jimmy Carter selected Hill to chair the State Board of Regents in 1973. Following Carter's election as President, he chose Hill to chair the Minority Business Resource Center, a group created by Congress.

A 1949 graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, in 1977 Hill became the first Black man to preside over the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

During Hill's presidency, the Atlanta Life Insurance Company became the largest black-owned life insurance company in the nation.[3]

In 2008 he was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.[2]

He died on December 17, 2012. He was 86 years old.

References

  1. ↑ "Jesse Hill Jr., Retired CEO of Atlanta Life INsurance Co., Dies at Age 86". Atlanta Daily World. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  2. 1 2 "International Civil Rights Walk Of Fame Announces 2008 Inductees". Georgia Informer, Inc. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  3. ↑ "Jesse Hill (b. 1927)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
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