Black History Month about Mr. Lucius King.

Here is another in the series on Black History Month about Mr. Lucius King.

Mr. Lucius King was the brother of  Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and uncle to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Mr. King wasn’t one to be out front when all was happening during the Civil Rights movement.  He was born in Stockbridge, GA in September 1899.  His brother Michael (Daddy King) was born in 1897 according to the Census of 1900.
Lucius attended school to the third grade and then began working at odd jobs around town to help out with the family.  He was harassed by the white supremacists of the day and made his life miserable here.

His sister Lenora had married and moved to Griffin, GA and so Lucius left Stockbridge about the time their Mama died and he lived with his sister and her husband for a while.  He had gotten a job digging ditches for the road crew in the Griffin area.  He was a shy and bashful person who didn’t say much or want to be in the forefront of things happening in the area.  His brother Michael (Daddy King) had moved to Atlanta and became a minister which was his life’s calling.  But for Lucius he wanted to live a simple life and he moved down to Madison, GA.

He did not realize that this area was a hot spot for the KKK.  Morgan County was ripe with them and he had to be very careful especially in later years.  If they had known  he was related to Dr. King, Jr. he would have likely been hunted down and lynched as a retaliation towards him.  Lucius was working in the framing of houses at this time and kept a low profile.

Lucius was hurt by the assassination of his nephew in Memphis and went to Atlanta to be with Daddy King and his wife at the time to be with the family.  Afterwards, he went back down to Madison.  By this time his health was getting bad and he didn’t work as much as he had once did.  In October 1970, Lucius King passed away in Madison.  This was only a few days after Coretta King had MLK, Jr. moved to where the King Center was being formed.  So, they laid Lucius in the vacated spot of MLK.  Daddy King and his wife Roberta would be buried just above him at South View Cemetery in Atlanta.

Lucius was a proud man and had every right to be.  He worked the best he knew how and at hard work during his life.  He followed his father’s footsteps in working hard to make a living.  One of the silent parts of the King family not heard in history.