Civil Rights Adviser Clarence B. Jones Dies at 95

Clarence B. Jones, a pivotal legal adviser and speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who helped craft the iconic "I Have a Dream" address, died on May 22 at an assisted living facility in Cupertino, California. He was 95. His death was confirmed by his family, who said he passed peacefully with loved ones at his side.

In a statement, his family described him as a man of conscience who believed an idea was more powerful than any army. The King Center also issued a statement honoring his legacy as a trusted legal counsel and strategic advisor.

Jones served as King’s personal attorney, adviser, and speechwriter from 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968. He is credited with smuggling the handwritten pages of King’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" out of the Birmingham cell so the text could be published. He also helped draft King’s 1967 "Beyond Vietnam" speech, a significant address condemning the Vietnam War. Beyond speechwriting, Jones was an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and worked to advance the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

His legal work extended to the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case New York Times v. Sullivan, where he was part of the team that successfully...