In 1941, Pvt. Albert H. King, a young Black soldier stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, was shot and killed under circumstances that would expose the deep racial injustices of the U.S. military during the Jim Crow era. His story, long buried in official records, only received justice more than eight decades later.
Albert H. King was a young African American soldier stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. Orphaned early, he lost his father to pneumonia and his mother to influenza, yet he found purpose and pride in serving the U.S. Army. He earned a good-conduct card and wore his uniform with dignity.
On March 23, 1941, King left the base dressed in olive-green slacks, shirt, necktie, and cap, heading to Columbus, Georgia, where his late grandmother had lived. That evening, he and his friend, Pfc. Lawrence Hoover, visited the Cozy Spot, a local venue where Black residents could dance, drink, and enjoy themselves without harassment. The night was meant for relaxation, a brief escape from the harsh realities of life as a Black soldier in the segregated South.
By 3:30 a.m., King and Hoover were ready to return to the base. They boarded a bus with two young women and settled in the section reserved for Black passengers. Their laughter and playful antics drew the attention of the bus driver, who became annoyed by their noise. When a second driver, armed with a blackjack, tried to quiet them, King demanded his fare back, refusing to be intimidated.
Near the gates of Fort Benning, Sgt. Robert Lummus, a white military police officer on night duty, arrived on his motorcycle. Lummus confronted King, swinging a blackjack and then drawing his .45-caliber pistol. King and Hoover initially complied, but as White soldiers approached, King bolted into the dark base grounds. Hoover was struck in the head, and Lummus pursued King alone.
Eventually, Lummus encountered a Black soldier walking toward the post. Believing it might be King, he ordered him to stop. According to Lummus, King responded, “You can’t arrest me, you son of a bitch.” Without any weapon in King’s hands, Lummus fired five shots. King was struck in the abdomen, back, and head, dying instantly.
King’s murder triggered a court-martial for Lummus the same afternoon. The court debated whether King had carried a knife, despite Hoover’s testimony that he had not. Lummus claimed fear for his life. Within hours, the court acquitted him.
Initially, a board of officers concluded that King had died in the line of duty. But under pressure from Fort Benning’s commanding general, the ruling was reversed. By May 1941, the War Department declared that King’s death resulted from his own misconduct. Efforts by Black leaders, including physician Thomas Brewer and War Department official William Hastie, failed to overturn the decision. Hastie condemned the shooting as a “callous and wanton act,” but King’s name remained dishonored. His family received no benefits, and the tragedy faded from official history.
For over 80 years, Pvt. King’s death was treated as misconduct rather than a tragic act of racial violence. It wasn’t until 2015 that the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) at Northeastern University School of Law began investigating the case. Their research revealed compelling evidence that King had indeed been killed while performing his duties, and that the original ruling was influenced by the racial prejudices of the era.
Following years of advocacy and legal review, in November 2022, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records formally restored King’s record, officially declaring that he had “died in the line of duty.”
On March 24, 2024, 83 years after his death, Pvt. Albert H. King finally received a full military funeral. The ceremony included an honor guard, a new headstone, and the presence of Army officials alongside King’s family, ensuring that his service and sacrifice were finally recognized.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/05/28/albert-king-black-soldier-killed-1941-fort-benning/
