Truman Gibson
| Truman Gibson | |
|---|---|
Gibson in later years
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| Born |
January 22, 1912 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Died | December 23, 2005 (aged 93) Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | USA |
| Other names | Gibson, Truman Kella Jr. (full name) |
| Occupation | attorney, boxing promoter |
| Known for | Member of Franklin Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet" |
Truman Kella Gibson, Jr. (January 22, 1912 – December 23, 2005) was an American lawyer, government advisor, and later influential boxing promoter who played a unique and unheralded role in the Civil Rights Movement, primarily as a member of the "Black Cabinet" of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman.
Gibson, the son of an insurance executive, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, just a few years after the Atlanta race riot of 1906. While still young, he moved with his family to Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1932 and obtained a degree from its law school in 1935.
From 1935 to 1940, Gibson practiced law in Chicago. During this time, Gibson met then up-and-coming boxer Joe Louis, whom Gibson was charged with entertaining while Gibson’s law firm negotiated deals with Louis’ management. He also helped organize Chicago’s American Negro Exposition in 1940, marking the 75th anniversary of emancipation.
Gibson's experience with the exposition drew the attention of progressives within the federal government. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had created the post of civilian aide to the Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, to speak on behalf of black men in the army. In 1940, Gibson was appointed as an assistant to this newly named adviser, William H. Hastie. Gibson's tasks included investigating complaints from black soldiers facing indignities, and sometimes violence, during their stateside training. On one occasion, Gibson was instrumental in obtaining a decision for several black Officer Candidate School candidates from Fort Riley, KS, whose OCS applications had been inexplicably delayed for several months.Joe Louis, then assigned to Fort Riley for basic training, who had known Gibson in Chicago, had intervened on behalf of the OCS candidates. Among the OCS applications Gibson facilitated was that of a young Jackie Robinson.
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