McKissick, Floyd B. (Floyd Bixler), 1922-1991

Floyd B. McKissick (1922-1991) was born in Asheville, N.C. He was an attorney, businessman, and civil rights leader. McKissick married Evelyn Williams, with whom he had four children: Joycelyn; Andree; Floyd, Jr.; and Charmaine.

From the description of Floyd B. McKissick papers, 1940s-1980s. WorldCat record id: 39668375

Floyd B. McKissick (1922-1991), the son of Ernest Boyce and Magnolia Thompson McKissick, was born in Asheville, N.C., on 9 March 1922. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from North Carolina Central University. During the course of his educational pursuits, he also became the first Black man to attend the Law School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

McKissick was a noted attorney, businessman and civil rights champion. Through his professional career in North Carolina and elsewhere, he had affiliations with some of America's most prominent and influential personalities. He served as national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and later became national director of that organization. McKissick also held an advisory role with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and he was the founder and president of McKissick Enterprises. He was a much-sought-after speaker, as well as the author of Three-Fifths of a Man (1969) and numerous other writings.

During the early 1970s, McKissick founded Soul City near Warrenton, N.C. The new township was designed to promote economic empowerment of African Americans and was often referred to as the first Freestanding Community in modern history.

Floyd McKissick and his wife, Evelyn Williams McKissick, had four children: Joycelyn; Andree; Floyd, Jr.; and Charmaine. McKissick died in his home state on 28 April 1991; he was 69 years of age.

From the guide to the Floyd B. McKissick Papers, 1940s-1980s, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)