Coretta Scott King Bio: Husband, Age, Children, Height, Parents, Books, Awards, Quotes, Death
Biography
Coretta Scott King, born in 1927 and died in 2006, was a celebrated American civil rights activist, author, and musician, best known as the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Born in Heiberger, Alabama, she graduated from Antioch College and studied music at the New England Conservatory.
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A tireless advocate for racial equality, she worked alongside her husband during the Civil Rights Movement, organizing Freedom Concerts to raise funds and awareness.
After Dr. King’s assassination in 1968, she founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and continued advocating for peace, women’s rights, and social justice.
Coretta played a key role in establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday. Her legacy as a leader and symbol of resilience endures.
| American author | |
| Coretta Scott King | |
|---|---|
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Coretta Scott King |
| Stage Name: | Coretta Scott |
| Born: | 27 April 1927 (age 78 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Heiberger, Alabama, United States |
| Died: | 30 January 2006 (age 78 years), Rosarito, Mexico |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | Lincoln Normal School, Antioch College, New England Conservatory of Music |
| Height: | 1.65 m |
| Parents: | Bernice McMurry Scott, Obadiah Scott |
| Siblings: | Edythe Scott Bagley, Obadiah Leonard Scott |
| Spouse: | Martin Luther King Jr. (m. 1953–1968) |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | Not Dating |
| Children: | Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, Dexter King, Yolanda King |
| Occupation: | Activist • Author |
| Net Worth: | $10,000 (USD) |
Early Life & Education
Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927, in Heiberger, Alabama, a rural community in Perry County. She was of African American ethnicity and grew up in a Baptist religious environment, with her family deeply involved in the church.
Her parents were Obadiah “Obie” Scott, a farmer and lumber supplier who also owned a small business, and Bernice McMurry Scott, a homemaker; both were descendants of enslaved Africans and faced economic hardships during the Great Depression.
Coretta had two siblings: an older sister named Edythe Scott Bagley and a younger brother named Obadiah Leonard Scott. Her early life was marked by experiences of racial segregation and poverty in the Jim Crow South, where she worked on her family’s farm from a young age, picking cotton and helping with chores.
Coretta attended Lincoln Normal School in Marion, Alabama, a segregated institution where she excelled academically and musically, graduating as valedictorian in 1945. She then pursued higher education on a scholarship at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, earning a bachelor’s degree in music and education in 1951.
Afterward, she studied concert singing and violin at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, receiving a Mus.B. in voice in 1954. These formative years shaped her commitment to social justice and nonviolence, influenced by her exposure to integrated environments at Antioch and encounters with racism.
Career
Coretta Scott King devoted her life to civil rights, social justice, and nonviolent activism, working alongside her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and later establishing herself as a leader in her own right.
Though she was initially trained as a musician and pursued music studies at Antioch College and the New England Conservatory, her path shifted when she married Martin Luther King Jr. in 1953.
While raising their four children—Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice—she balanced family responsibilities with active involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. She organized and performed in Freedom Concerts, using her voice and storytelling skills to raise awareness and funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which her husband led.
After Dr. King’s assassination in 1968, Coretta stepped into a more prominent role, founding the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta the following year. As president of the center, she preserved her husband’s legacy while continuing to advocate for racial equality, women’s rights, economic justice, and peace on a global scale.
She became a respected speaker and organizer, addressing forums worldwide, leading marches, and lobbying for laws that promoted fairness and equality. One of her most significant achievements was her tireless campaign to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday, which was signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986.
Beyond civil rights, she spoke out against apartheid in South Africa, championed LGBTQ rights, and opposed war, remaining consistent in her message of nonviolence as a path to justice.
As an author, she shared her story in My Life with Martin Luther King Jr. (1969) and later co-edited The Words of Martin Luther King Jr. (1983), ensuring his teachings continued to inspire future generations.
Coretta Scott King remained active and influential until her health declined, and she passed away in 2006, leaving behind a powerful legacy as both a guardian of Dr. King’s vision and a transformative leader in her own right.
Personal Life
Coretta Scott King lived to the age of 78, having been born on April 27, 1927, and passing away on January 30, 2006.
Her husband was civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom she married on June 18, 1953, in a ceremony officiated by her father-in-law on the lawn of her parents’ home in Marion, Alabama.
This was her only marriage, which endured until Dr. King‘s assassination on April 4, 1968, after which she never remarried.
Together, they had four children: Yolanda Denise King (born November 17, 1955; died 2007), Martin Luther King III (born October 23, 1957), Dexter Scott King (born January 30, 1961; died 2024), and Bernice Albertine King (born March 28, 1963).
Coretta Scott King‘s height was 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters). Regarding her dating history, before meeting Dr. King, she had casual relationships during her school and college years, but none that developed into serious commitments she wished to pursue.
She was introduced to Martin Luther King Jr. by a mutual friend, Mary Powell, in early 1952 while studying music in Boston; they began dating soon after, with King proposing marriage within months despite her initial reservations about marrying a minister.
Coretta Scott King‘s cause of death was respiratory failure stemming from complications of ovarian cancer, following a stroke in 2005 that had left her partially paralyzed; she died while seeking alternative treatment at a holistic health center in Rosarito Beach, Mexico.
Net Worth
Coretta Scott King‘s net worth at the time of her death in 2006 is not publicly documented in detail, reflecting her focus on activism over personal wealth accumulation.
Her 1976 will, which remained largely unchanged, included modest bequests such as $5,000 to the King Center and $10,000 each to family members, suggesting a relatively simple estate.
The family’s assets, including intellectual property rights to Martin Luther King Jr.‘s works, were managed through the King Center and later distributed among heirs, contributing to her children’s individual fortunes (e.g., Dexter Scott King‘s estimated $9–10 million). Overall, her legacy emphasized social justice rather than financial gain.
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