James Farmer Farmer's work in staging freedom rides and sit-ins was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts. (more) James Farmer American civil rights activist Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Farmer Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Stanford University - The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - Biography of James Farmer Texas State Historical Association - The Handbook of Texas Online - Biography of James Leonard Farmer, Jr. BlackPast - Biography of James Farmer Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. James Farmer - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11) James Farmer - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: James Leonard Farmer, Jr. Written by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 5, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Quick Facts In full: James Leonard Farmer, Jr. (Show more) Born: January 12, 1920, Marshall, Texas, U.S. (Show more) Died: July 9, 1999, Fredericksburg, Virginia (aged 79) (Show more) Founder: Congress of Racial Equality (Show more) Awards And Honors: Presidential Medal of Freedom (1998) (Show more) Role In: American civil rights movement Freedom Rides (Show more) See all related content Show More James Farmer (born January 12, 1920, Marshall, Texas, U.S.—died July 9, 1999, Fredericksburg, Virginia) was an American civil rights activist who, as a leader of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), helped shape the civil rights movement through his nonviolent activism and organizing of sit-ins and Freedom Rides, which broadened popular support for passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts in the mid-1960s.

　　Farmer was educated at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas (1938), and at Howard University in Washington, D.C. (1941), where his father taught divinity. A conscientious objector on religious grounds, he received a military deferral in World War II, and he joined the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR). In 1942 he cofounded CORE, which originated integrated bus trips through the South, called Freedom Rides, to challenge local efforts to block the desegregation of interstate busing. Farmer, who sought racial justice by means of nonviolence, was often a target of racial violence himself.

　　He resigned from the leadership of CORE in 1965, and in 1968 he lost a run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to Shirley Chisholm. In 1969–70 he served as assistant secretary of health, education and welfare under President Richard M. Nixon. In 1985 Farmer published his autobiography, Lay Bare the Heart, and in 1998 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

　　Britannica Quiz Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About the American Civil Rights Movement The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.