James L. Farmer, Jr.

James L. Farmer, Jr.(Jan. 12, 1920-Jul. 9, 1999)Civil rights leader James Leonard Farmer, Jr., son of Pearl (Houston) and Dr. James L. Farmer, Sr., lived here as a child from 1925-30. James, Sr. taught at Samuel Huston College (now Huston-Tillotson University). In 1942, James, Jr. founded the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which trained civil rights leaders in Ghandi-inspired nonviolent civil disobedience tactics to protest racial discrimination. Under Farmer's leadership, CORE organized the 1961 "Freedom Riders" to desegregate interstate transportation in the Deep South. Farmer was an Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Deparment of Health, Education, and Welfare (1969-1970). He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. (2008)

James L. Farmer, Jr. is a historical marker in Austin, Travis County, dedicated in 2008. It is one of 320 historical markers documented in Travis County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 591 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.2724, -97.7227 near Austin. The nearest cataloged historic site is Southgate-Lewis House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Simpson United Methodist Church, Site of Old Anderson High School_Kealing Junior High School, and Moonlight Towers.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507015236. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.