AT A GLANCE
• Clarence B. Jones, a civil rights lawyer and close adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at 95.
• Jones helped shape the March on Washington and contributed to the opening lines of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
• He served as King’s chief legal counsel and adviser from 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968.
• President Joe Biden awarded Jones the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024 for his civil rights and humanitarian work.
Jones, Who Helped Shape King’s Monumental “I Have A Dream” Speech, Was Awarded The Presidential Medal Of Freedom By Then-President Joe Biden In 2024
Clarence B. Jones, the renowned civil rights lawyer, activist and trusted adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died at 95.
Jones’ son confirmed his death to The New York Times on Monday. The University of San Francisco, where Jones co founded the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, announced that he died on May 22.
“A man who stood at the center of history, Clarence generously shared his wisdom, courage, and moral vision with our university community,” University of San Francisco President Salvador D. Aceves said in a statement.
A Trusted Voice Beside Martin Luther King Jr.
From 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968, Jones served as King’s chief legal counsel and adviser. He helped guide legal strategy for the civil rights movement and played a role in shaping some of its most defining moments.
Jones helped draft the opening lines of King’s landmark “I Have A Dream” speech, delivered during the March on Washington in 1963. His work placed him close to the center of the movement at a time when the fight for civil rights was reshaping the nation.
According to Vanity Fair, Jones was also among the people King trusted most. King reportedly used Jones’ name to check into hotels to avoid attention and help protect his safety. Jones’ closeness to King and the movement also made him a target of federal surveillance, including having his phones bugged by the FBI.
From Birmingham Jail To Civil Rights Legal History
Jones also played a behind the scenes role during King’s time in Birmingham jail, where King wrote what became the historic “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
In 2006, Jones recalled sneaking legal paper into the jail so King could continue writing.
“I would take sheets from a yellow legal pad and stuff them into my shirt,” Jones said at the time. “Martin would then write like mad. Very hard to decipher. I’d sneak the pages out. He had confidence that I would get them to Willie Pearl Mackey, the secretary of King cohort Wyatt Walker. Until he got the paper, he was writing on the margins of a Birmingham News and New York Times.”
Born in North Philadelphia in 1931, Jones attended Columbia University, where he majored in political science. He later became involved in the movement through his legal work with King and other civil rights leaders.
Jones served as counsel for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and its fundraising arm. He also gave legal counsel in the landmark New York Times Co. v. Sullivan case, which reshaped libel law in the United States.
A Legacy Honored Across Generations
Following King’s assassination in 1968, Jones moved into academia, teaching students at the University of San Francisco and Stanford University. He continued to speak, write and educate others about nonviolence, justice and the unfinished work of the civil rights movement.
Rev. Al Sharpton paid tribute to Jones on X, writing, “So many of us owe a great debt to Clarence Jones. He was a brilliant strategist, lawyer, author, and philanthropist.”
In 2024, President Joe Biden awarded Jones the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, recognizing his decades of civil rights and humanitarian work.
Earlier this year, NBA star Steph Curry produced a short film about Jones titled “The Baddest Speech Writer of All.” The 29 minute film is expected to premiere on Netflix later this year.
Jones leaves behind a legacy tied to some of the most important chapters in American history. His work helped protect King, shape the language of the civil rights movement and preserve the moral vision that continues to influence generations.
