Harold Holliday Sr. (June 28, 1918 - March 21, 1985) was a civil rights activist, economist, army officer, judge, and Democratic politician who served 12 years in the Missouri House of Representatives.
Early life
Harold Holliday was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1918. He moved to Kansas City, Missouri with his mother Eliza and his sister Isola when he was two years old. He attended Dunbar Elementary School and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1935. He earned a bachelor's degree from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1939, and a master's degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1941.[1] In 1952, he was the first African-American to receive a law degree from the school which would become the University of Missouri–Kansas City.[2]
Career
Holliday served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from September 26, 1942, until November 1945, as a second lieutenant in the European theater.[3] He represented the 5th, 14th, and 26th districts in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1964 to 1974.[4] He was known for his passionate oratory skills and his progressive legislations. He founded Freedom, Inc., a black political organization in Jackson County, Missouri.[1]
Death
Holliday died of prostate cancer in 1985[2] and was buried at Leavenworth National Cemetery.[5]
References
- ^ a b Conrads, David. "Biography of Harold Holliday Sr. (1918–1985), Lawyer, Legislator, and Civil Rights Activist". KC History. Kansas City Public Library. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Lawrence O. Christensen, ed. (1999). Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. p. 402. 0-8262-1222-0.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, James C. Official Manual State of Missouri 1975-1976. Jefferson City, Missouri: Von Hoffmann Press, Inc. p. 122.
- ^ "Missouri State Legislators 1820-2000". Missouri History. State of Missouri. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Find A Grave: Harold L. Holliday, Sr". Retrieved December 26, 2013.