Hosea Williams, one of the most active and controversial members of Dr. Martin Luther King's inner circle, died on November 16th aged 74. In 1968, he witnessed the assination of Dr. King, who had once described him as "my wild man, my Castro".
King relied heavily on Hosea's fiery rhetoric to stir up black opposition to southern segregation. Once he had created a furore, King could arrive much more effectively with his message of peace and reconciliation.
At the height of the protests, King replaced Hosea Williams with one of his more emollient lieutenants, Andrew Young, later President Carter's ambassador to the UN. Young's task was to present the acceptable face of black protest.
This strategy involved considerable personal risk for Hosea Williams, and in 1965 he was lucky to escape with his life when he headed the Bloody Sunday march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama. Within minutes, the state police warned marchers they had two minutes to disperse. Since it was impossible to turn back, the leaders decided to kneel in prayer. At once they were attacked by police. Hosea Williams was beaten unconscious and sustained a fractured skull.
Before the war Hosea Williams had acquired only a rudimentary education, but the GI Bill of Rights allowed him to resume his high school career at the age of 21. From there he continued to university and a master's degree in chemistry. He then joined the agriculture department.
After King's murder Hosea Williams decided a more direct political route would serve his cause better. He was elected to the Georgia state legislature, where he stayed for 11 years. He made a forlorn bid for the US Senate but had better luck on the Atlanta City Council and local county commission. At the same time he became executive director of the SCLC.
His later life was disrupted by alcoholism, There was more scandal when it was discovered the 'church' he founded in Atlanta had no premises and was running Georgia's most profitable bingo operations.Hosea Williams is survived by his daughter Elisabeth. His wife died in August and his son died in 1998.
Hosea Williams: born 1926 ;died, November 2000.