Martin Luther King Jr Runs for Office: A Timeline

[Progressive]

Would this make a good timeline? A possible run for president in 1972 OR a run for office in the late 60s/early 70s and then an eventual run for president?

*assuming he is not murdered*


COMMENTS PLEASE =]

[izixs]

I could imagine a run for governor and then an unexpected win. And maybe the assassination is attempted but as a lot of governors have body guards (not sure if that was so true then but for him probably a must) and maybe he was saved by them. The attempt on his life followed by his insistence to forgive the would be murderer would certainly be a way to the hearts of many, which could lead him to run for president a few years later.

[Progressive]

I could imagine a run for governor and then an unexpected win. And maybe the assassination is attempted but as a lot of governors have body guards (not sure if that was so true then but for him probably a must) and maybe he was saved by them. The attempt on his life followed by his insistence to forgive the would be murderer would certainly be a way to the hearts of many, which could lead him to run for president a few years later.

I would have King Jr run in the 1970 gubernatorial race. The race that Jimmy Carter won.

[justW353]

I hope so...

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=114301.0

[Progressive]

Damnitttttttt, ugh im like depressed now lol. should i have him run for senate.

[justW353]

Damnitttttttt, ugh im like depressed now lol. should i have him run for senate.

Do it anyways!

Mine isn't quite the rise of MLK, your's could be.

Go for it.  MLK for Governor of New York!

[Progressive]

March 13, 1967 Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., his wife Coretta, and their four children move to a permanent home. They have moved into a brownstone in New York City's Harlem neighborhood.

April 5, 1967 King and Mayor John Lindsay hold a summit of religious leaders including reverends, Rabbis, imams, etc to discuss unity amongst the different groups.

April 20, 1967 Mayor Lindsay, along with Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller announce the creation of the New York State Commission of Unity and Prosperity, naming Martin Luther King Jr, as its head. Governor Rockefeller states that being commissioner of the agency is part-time and that King Jr would be able to continue his civil rights advocacy work.

[justW353]

I like it!

[California8429]

I would see him run for Senate or Congress over being Governor

[Progressive]

April 25, 1967 Martin Luther King Jr files papers to run for Congress as a Democrat in what is then New York's 18th Congressional District. Incumbent Democratic Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr is running for governor of NY.

April 31, 1967 Commissioner King Jr has traveled to different universities and college throughout the state to discuss race relations in an academic setting.

May 15, 1967 King Jr and his wife Coretta  join over 100,000 people in Washington D.C. to protest the War in Vietnam. According to a New York Times interview, Dr. King stated that "if [he] were elected to the Congress, [he] would vote to unfund the war and fun the return of America's brave troops."

May 19, 1967 King Jr, his wife, and his children tour different churches and the Black Synagogue of Harlem, talking with voters about issues that concern them the most.

May 24, 1967 KKK members from the South say that they will personally send money to an opponent of King for November. At a speech on 125th street to small business owners, King said, "I run as a Democrat to continue the legacy of the late president John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I will serve not as a partisan politician, but as a human being fighting for the most basic of human rights."

May 31, 1967 Hundreds of protesters rally outside of Dr. King's campaign office in Harlem. Some local news reporters are there covering the story, but it is unclear if the protesters are New Yorkers or from out of town.

Junel 3, 1967 Commissioner King Jr speaks with union members and owners of businesses.

June 10, 1967 A rock is thrown through the window of King Jr's campaign office. Attached is a note that says, "Stay out of the Congress, *racial expletive"." King Jr uses this incident as proof that "Something about the campaign for change and peace is working. We will continue to practice peace against their arrogant violence."

[hcallega]

This is a neat TL so far!

[Progressive]

June 18, 1967 King Jr is endorsed by Senator Robert F Kennedy Jr and Mayor John Lindsay at a rally in Harlem, NY. Both men call King "one of the greatest human beings the United States has seen."

July 4, 1967 At an Independence Day Rally in Washington D.C., King Jr is harassed by white supremacists who threaten to kill King and his family if he gets elected to office. King says that he will not succumb to such "petty threats of cowardice."

July 19, 1967 An effort to get bi-partisan for his campaign falls flat when Senator Jacob K. Javits and Governor Nelson A Rockefeller claim state that they do not endorse his candidacy. Rather, they both issued statements similar to the following: Commissioner King Jr is a great asset to the people of New York, Black and White, and he best serves America through civic activism and not through partisan politics.

July 31, 1967 Women's rights groups including NOW rally behind King Jr's effort.

August 30, 1967 Still over a year away, King Jr's campaign is collecting donations for his election effort from members of the Black community in Harlem

[Progressive]

Any comments/suggestions

[yougo1000]

I'm loving it!!!!

[Progressive]

September 18, 1967 King Jr and Coretta Scott King meet with community board members in all four boroughs sparking talk that King may run for New York City. King Jr denies these rumors.

September 30, 1967 At a rally in St. Louis, Missouri, King Jr calls on "Blacks, Whites, Latins, yellows, blues, and greens" to join hands in unity. This becomes known as the Unity Speech and is played over and over by mainstream news sources.

October 18, 1967 Gov. Rockefeller is rumored to be searching for a higher level job for King Jr at the State House. Rockefeller denies these rumors. Republican officials in New York claim off the record to CBS Radio that "treating King Jr nicely and as an ally has become a political liability."

November 9, 1967 Less than a year until Election Day. The New York Times has released a story on King Jr's "political coming of age." They feature all of his political points of view and what he would do if elected to the House.

December 26, 1967 King Jr and his family host a "Day After Christmas" march for civil rights at Central Park.

January 4, 1968 A key fundraiser to King Jr's Congressional campaign is found dead in her home. Officials report that she died of a heart attack, but some speculate that she may have been poisoned. King Jr. calls for a week of mourning and a temporary halt to campaigning.

January 15, 1968 A Black business owner from Harlem, NY will run against King Jr in the primary. Henry Chowlers, the candidate, is crossed endorsed by the Republican Party. He claims that King Jr is an "inspirational and Christian figure, but is not set out to make national security decisions and to handle our taxes."

February 3, 1968 First debate for the 18th District Congressional Race: Chowlers accused King Jr as being "grossly unprepared for such a daunting task." King refused to use incendiary comments, but said that "Mr. Chowlers is not the best candidate to represent Harlem's district."

February 22, 1968 BREAKING: Chowlers has sent fliers around to Harlem residents claiming that King Jr has been unfaithful to his wife. The next day he and a group of supporters march over to King's campaign office demanding answers...

[cpeeks]

Very captivating

[Progressive]

February 23, 1968 In a speech to a few thousand Harlemites, King Jr states:
I have not done my wife wrong. I may not be a perfect man or husband. But I do know that such false accusations help neither Mr. Chowlers nor the residents of this district
Much of the fallout from this "mini-scandal" has dissipated.

March 4, 1968 Commissioner King Jr is assigned to meet with organized labor and the owner of some factories in Upstate, NY. He successfully helps negotiate contracts for nearly 4,000 workers.

March 15, 1968 King Jr hosts a luncheon with reporters and some Vietnam war vets. They discuss foreign policy and ways to successfully end the war in Vietnam.

March 31, 1968 White southerners and Klan members raised nearly $40,000 to donate to the campaign of Mr. Chowlers. They are usually Harlem residents as pawns to give money to Chowlers. Chowlers says he will accept money from his constituents and does not believe that supremacists are funding his campaign

[Progressive]

Should i continue?

[yougo1000]

Should i continue?

YES!! I love it.

[Progressive]

April 15, 1968 King Jr meets with his constituents at a local diner to discuss tax code policy.

May 10, 1968 A teacher's strike breaks out in New York City during a conflict between teachers of African and Jewish heritage. Commissioner King Jr is called to the scene. Radio reports indicate that King Jr is working with union leaders of all ethnicities to solve differences.
(Later that Day)
Breaking News! Commissioner King Jr has successfully averted a strike. New York City teachers WILL report back to class.

May 11, 1968Newspaper Headlines from the next day:
The New York Times: Hero! Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr Successfully Averts Teacher Union Strike
The New York Post: Strike Struck Down as Prosperity and Unity Commissioner Handles Talks
The Daily News: Schooled! Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr Averts Strike Through Tough Negotiations

June 6, 1968 United States Senator from New York Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated today. Martin Luther King JR, who received a warm endorsement from the Kennedy family, including RFK, is devastated. In a speech to New Yorkers, King Jr calls from calm and moments of silence throughout the month to "commemorate the memory of such a tremendous human being."

June 30, 1968 Speculation grows as to whether King Jr will focus on combating the Republican senator who Gov. Rockefeller will appoint. King Jr insists he is running for the House still.

July 18, 1968 King Jr had been participating in nationwide Poor People's Campaign. Suddenly, at a hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland, a man knocked on King Jr's door. King opened the door, and was shot by a man who screamed "Die N*****." This incident made headlines throughout the world.

July 24, 1968 Doctors from Marting Luther King Jr say that "King will make a full and speedy recovery. He was shot twice. Once in the arm, and once in the lower cheek. He will have full function of both body parts, and neither will have to be reconstructed." New Yorkers were elated to hear such good news. Speculation mounts as to who may have tried to kill the civil rights leader.

[Historico]

Maybe with the butterflies of TTL, we could see, Rocky get the nomination?

[Progressive]

Maybe with the butterflies of TTL, we could see, Rocky get the nomination?

I'm confused, please explain?

[Progressive]

Should i continue?

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Should i continue?

Yes, please do! This is a very interesting timeline.