Leon Jordan facts for kids

Leon Mercer Jordan (May 6, 1905 – July 15, 1970) was an African-American police officer, politician, and civil rights leader from Kansas City, Missouri. Jordan was "one of the most influential African Americans in Kansas City's history" and, at the time of his assassination in 1970, the "state's most powerful black politician".

Early years

Leon Jordan attended Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri, served in the United States Army, and graduated from Wilberforce University in Ohio in 1933. He married fellow Wilberforce student Orchid Irene Ramsey on August 10, 1932.

Career

After graduation, Jordan worked as a schoolteacher.

He joined the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) in 1938, rising to the rank of detective. He took a leave of absence in 1947 and spent eight years training the police forces of Liberia. As a pilot, Jordan flew his own plane around the country. In 1948, he helped coordinate the rescue of the French High Commissioner of West Africa and sixteen other French officials after their plane made a forced landing. Jordan was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of the African Star by Liberian President William Tubman in 1948.

In 1951, Jordan became a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He returned to Kansas City in February 1952 and was promoted to police lieutenant, the first African-American to hold that rank in the KCPD's history. However, he discovered that he had little power in the department, so he resigned and went back to Liberia for three years. Jordan returned to Kansas City permanently in the mid-1950s and purchased the Green Duck Tavern.

Civil rights and politics

A statue and park memorializing Jordan was dedicated May 17, 1975. A plaque commemorating Freedom, Inc. was later placed on the back of the statue's base.

In 1958, Jordan became a Democratic committeeman for the 14th Ward of Kansas City. In 1962, Jordan and Bruce R. Watkins co-founded Freedom, Inc., an organization which advocated political awareness among African-Americans in the city by organizing a massive voter registration drive and promoting black political candidates. In 1963, Jordan and Watkins helped pass an accommodations ordinance, desegregating all public facilities in Kansas City.

In 1964, Freedom, Inc. put forward eight candidates for office, seven of which won. Among them was Jordan, who was elected to the first of three terms in the Missouri House of Representatives. Jordan was campaigning for a fourth term at the time he was murdered. Shortly before his death, he described himself as a "radical", adding, "I'm not a conformist but there are bounds of reason."

Assassination

Jordan was assassinated at about 1:00 a.m. on July 15, 1970 just outside his Green Duck Tavern by three shotgun blasts. The shotgun had been stolen and was abandoned immediately. When it was recovered, it was traced to a burglary five years earlier in Independence, Missouri. Three men were arrested for the murder. One of them was acquitted, and charges were dropped against the other two suspects.

Upon his death, his widow, Orchid I. Jordan, became a candidate for his legislative seat. She won the election, and served for sixteen years in the Missouri House of Representatives. She died on December 25, 1995 at the age of 85.

2010 investigation

In 2010, Kansas City Star reporters began investigating the assassination while preparing for coverage of the 40th anniversary of Jordan's death. This led to discovery of the missing murder weapon and some old fingerprint cards, which persuaded the KCPD to re-open their investigation into the department's oldest cold case.

The Star reported that police informants associated with the Black Mafia had stated that the assassination was organized by "Shotgun Joe" Centimano, owner of a local liquor store, and that it was "all about politics". News coverage referred to a 900-page police report finished in 2011. No one was indicted because all of the alleged perpetrators were dead by then.

Legacy

The Leon M. Jordan Memorial Park, located at 31st Street and Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, features a statue of Jordan and a plaque on the front of its base.

Jordan's papers, including extensive documentation of his service in Liberia, are collected in the library of the University of Missouri's Kansas City campus. He is the topic of a documentary called A Legacy of Leadership, directed by Emiel Cleaver and funded by a 2019 Rocket Grant from the Charlotte Street Foundation. Its release was scheduled for July 2020, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Jordan's death.

In 1948, Liberian President William Tubman awarded him Chevalier of the Order of the African Star.

See also

• List of assassinated American politicians