| Summary: | A native of Johnston, South Carolina, Gomillion worked at Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, from 1928-1971, as professor of Sociology, Chairman of the Division of Social Sciences, Dean of Students and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Gomillion's sociological theories and advice on race relations firmly established him as a world renowned researcher, writer and civil rights advocate. His case, "Gomillion vs. Lightfoot," centered on the city of Tuskegee, Alabama, where local government officials systematically stripped African-Americans of voting power. Although losing twice in lower courts, he nonetheless went to the Supreme Court in 1960 and received a favorable ruling, paving the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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