Clarence B. Jones, Civil Rights lawyer and adviser to MLK, dies at 95
Source: USA Today
Updated May 25, 2026, 10:25 p.m. ET
Clarence B. Jones, a Civil Rights attorney and close adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and assisted in drafting King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, has died. He was 95.
Jones’ son, Clarence Jr., confirmed his death to The New York Times on May 25, saying Jones died at an assisted living facility in Cupertino, California. The University of San Francisco, where Jones was the co-founder of the school's Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, said he died May 22.
From 1960 to 1968, Jones served as King’s legal counsel and strategic adviser, helping draft major speeches — including the opening lines of the “I Have a Dream” address — and advising him on key decisions during the Civil Rights Movement, according to The Leadership Alliance. He also played a role in coordinating the March on Washington, one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in U.S. history.
During the 1963 Birmingham campaign, Jones provided critical legal and strategic support to King. After King’s arrest, Jones secretly carried his handwritten response from jail to local clergy, leading to its distribution as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Jones also helped secure bail for King and other jailed protesters by traveling to New York to obtain funds from then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/05/25/clarence-b-jones-close-advisor-to-martin-luther-king-jr-dies-at-95/90254338007/
R.I.P.
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