Jesse Hill Jr.

Jesse Hill, Jr.
Born	May 30, 1926 (1926-05-30) (age 85) St. Louis, Missouri
Occupation	civil rights leader, business executive, and actuary
Spouse	Azira Hill
Parents	Jesse Hill Nancy Dennis Martin

Jesse Hill, Jr. (b. May 30, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri)^[1] is a civil rights leader, business executive, and actuary.

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

Jesse Hill, Jr. held many positions including 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]

His involvement with voting included chairing the All-Citizens Registration Committee and helped to desegregate the Atlanta Public School system. He also one one of the leading figures to desegregate the University System of Georgia.

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

Governor Jimmy Carter selected Hill to chair the State Board of Regents in 1973. After President Carter was elected, 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, Hill became, in 1977, 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]

References

1. ^ "Jesse Hill Jr. Named Recipient of Ivan Allen Prize". Georgia Tech. http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?id=891. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
2. ^ "International Civil Rights Walk Of Fame Announces 2008 Inductees". Georgia Informer, Inc. http://www.gainformer.com/Files/International%20Civil%20Rights%20Walk%20of%20Fame%20Inductees.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-18. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Jesse Hill (b. 1927)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1918. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 

Persondata
Name	Hill, Jesse, Jr.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1926-05-30
Place of birth	St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death
Place of death