Title
Rev. Thomas Gilmore, 1941 - 2015
Subject
Gilmore, Thomas, 1941 - 2015
African-American--History--Alabama
Civil rights movements
Description
The Rev. Thomas Gilmore was a leading figure in the civil rights movement in Alabama and the first black elected sheriff in Greene County (AL). Known as the "Sheriff Without a Gun," Gilmore served for 12 years before retiring in 1983 to become pastor of the First Baptist Church in Ensley (AL).
Gilmore was born in Forkland (AL) and attended the segregated Greene County Training School and later Selma University.
After a brief stint in Los Angeles, Gilmore returned to Greene County and began working with such civil rights icons as the Rev. William McKInley Branch, who spent more than 60 years as pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in his native Forkland and, in 1970, became the first black probate judge elected in the United States.
Under Branch's guidance, Gilmore was elected as the Greene County's first black sheriff, motivated by a racially motivated incident where he was savagely beaten by a Greene County Sheriff when he attempted to file a complaint that a local officer had assaulted a young black woman.
Gilmore's belief in non-violence led him to lay aside his weapon, earning him the moniker "the sheriff without a gun."
Gilmore died on Aug. 9, 2015, and was buried in his native Greene County.
Gilmore was born in Forkland (AL) and attended the segregated Greene County Training School and later Selma University.
After a brief stint in Los Angeles, Gilmore returned to Greene County and began working with such civil rights icons as the Rev. William McKInley Branch, who spent more than 60 years as pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in his native Forkland and, in 1970, became the first black probate judge elected in the United States.
Under Branch's guidance, Gilmore was elected as the Greene County's first black sheriff, motivated by a racially motivated incident where he was savagely beaten by a Greene County Sheriff when he attempted to file a complaint that a local officer had assaulted a young black woman.
Gilmore's belief in non-violence led him to lay aside his weapon, earning him the moniker "the sheriff without a gun."
Gilmore died on Aug. 9, 2015, and was buried in his native Greene County.
Source
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Publisher
The Tuscaloosa News
Date
August 11, 2015
Contributor
Betty Slowe (Description)
Type
Photograph
Identifier
1981
Coverage
Greene County (AL)
Original Format
Photograph