Age, Biography and Wiki

Robert Graetz (Robert Sylvester Graetz Jr.) was born on 16 May, 1928 in Clarksburg, West Virginia, U.S., is an American activist. Discover Robert Graetz's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 92 years old?

Popular As Robert Sylvester Graetz Jr.
Occupation Clergyman, activist
Age 92 years old
Zodiac Sign Taurus
Born 16 May, 1928
Birthday 16 May
Birthplace Clarksburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Date of death 20 September, 2020
Died Place Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 16 May. He is a member of famous activist with the age 92 years old group.

Robert Graetz Height, Weight & Measurements

At 92 years old, Robert Graetz height not available right now. We will update Robert Graetz's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
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Who Is Robert Graetz's Wife?

His wife is Jean Ellis

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Jean Ellis
Sibling Not Available
Children Not Available

Robert Graetz Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Robert Graetz worth at the age of 92 years old? Robert Graetz’s income source is mostly from being a successful activist. He is from United States. We have estimated Robert Graetz's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income activist

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Timeline

1928

Robert Sylvester Graetz Jr. (May 16, 1928 – September 20, 2020) was a Lutheran clergyman who, as the white pastor of a black congregation in Montgomery, Alabama, openly supported the Montgomery bus boycott, a landmark event of the civil rights movement.

Graetz, of German descent, was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and educated in Columbus, Ohio.

His father was an engineer with the Libbey-Owens-Ford Co.

1950

At Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1950, he started a "campus race relations club"; Walter White, the leader of the NAACP, was one of the club's speakers.

1951

He married Jean Ellis (known as Jeannie) on June 10, 1951, in East Springfield, Pennsylvania.

They had seven children together.

1955

Graetz received a B.D. in 1955 from Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

He began working there in 1955, the year of the Montgomery bus boycott.

A personal friend of Rosa Parks, Graetz became secretary of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization founded to organize and support the boycott.

The Sunday after Parks was arrested and the boycott began, he told his congregation, "Let’s try to make this boycott as effective as possible because it won’t be any boycott if half of us ride the buses and half don’t ride. So if we’re going to do it, let’s make a good job of it.” Graetz's support of the movement also included appearing at meetings led by Martin Luther King Jr.

While a few other whites in Montgomery supported the boycott, Graetz was the only white clergyman who did so.

He and his family were ostracized by other whites and suffered several episodes of harassment: their tires were slashed, sugar was poured into the gas tank of their car, they received death threats, some of which were directed against their children, they were arrested, and bombs were planted at their home on three occasions; the largest, comprising 11 sticks of dynamite, did not explode.

The book They Walked to Freedom 1955–1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Kenneth M. Hare (Sports Publishing LLC, 2005. ISBN 1-59670-010-6) contains a first-person account of his experiences as well as photographs of Graetz with King and others.

1958

In 1958, the family moved back to Columbus, where Graetz became the minister of another Black church.

Over the years that followed, he worked in Ohio, Kentucky, California, and Washington DC, where he spent 13 years as a lobbyist for marginalized individuals.

1999

Graetz wrote A White Preacher's Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (Black Belt Press, September 1999. ISBN 1-57966-015-0) about his experiences.

2007

In 2007, the Graetzes returned to Montgomery, Alabama, where they were actively involved in various civic activities including the diversity group One Montgomery and the League of Women Voters.

Each year they hosted the annual Graetz Symposium at the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University.

2017

Graetz condemned the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville in 2017, saying "When have we had a more violent or more negative or more hateful presidency? Never in our history. And that’s being accepted now as (something) we’re proud of. Now that there’s no longer a criterion, even if it’s the worst of times, we’re setting a standard for all of us. Now, (it’s) no longer a standard based on God. Now, instead what we see is television channels that are based on who can tell the most lies the most effectively."

2020

Graetz, who had Parkinson's disease and had been in hospice care for some time, died at his home in Montgomery on September 20, 2020.

Graetz's first full-time job as pastor was to a Black congregation, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Montgomery.