Which civil rights leader won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize?

Martin Luther King Jr. won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle for civil rights.

King was a Baptist minister and a central leader of the African-American civil rights movement in the United States. He promoted nonviolent protest against racial segregation and discrimination, drawing on Christian teachings and the example of Mahatma Gandhi.

At age 35, King became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient at that time. He donated the prize money to the civil rights movement rather than keeping it personally.

The award came during a pivotal year in United States history. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public accommodations and discrimination in employment, although the movement’s broader struggle continued for years afterward.