Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) 

Dr. King was a clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American
Civil Rights Movement. He was assassinated on Thursday, April 4, 1968 in Memphis,
Tennessee. On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating
a federal holiday to honor King. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was observed for the
time on Monday, January 20, 1986. On January 17, 2000, the federal holiday
was officially observed in all fifty states for the first time.