James L. Farmer, Sr.

Who was James L. Farmer, Sr.?

James Leonard Farmer, Sr. was an American author, theologian, and educator. He earned his bachelor, masters of theology, and doctoral degrees at Boston University. Farmer served as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and as a professor at several historically black colleges and universities in the U.S., most notably Howard University, Huston-Tillotson College, Wiley College and Rust College. Aspects of his life are chronicled in the film The Great Debaters, in which he is played by Forest Whitaker. His son James L. Farmer, Jr. was the famed civil rights leader.