John Logan Cashin Jr. (April 16, 1928 – March 21, 2011) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

dentist, civil rights campaigner, and politician. He was the founder and leader of the

National Democratic Party of Alabama The National Democratic Party of Alabama (NDPA) was a political party active in the U.S. state of Alabama that opposed the segregationist governor George Wallace. 1968 election During the 1968 Presidential election, Alabama's Democratic Party sup ...

. Born in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, Cashin received his bachelor's degree from

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

and Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from

Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry The School of Dentistry is a dental school within Meharry Medical College located in the United States city of Nashville, Tennessee. History Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry is a part of Meharry Medical College. The school was establ ...

. Cashin's father was a dentist, and his mother was a school principal. Additionally, his grandfather Herschel Cashin served in the Alabama legislature during the 1870s. From 1955 to 1957, Cashin served in the

Army Dental Corps An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. He was the party's nominee when he unsuccessfully ran for governor against

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...

in the 1970 gubernatorial election. As the party's leader he spoke at the January 18, 1971 NDPA victory celebration in Eutaw, Alabama after they swept the Greene County Election. NDPA candidates William McKinley Branch beat Judge Herndon while Thomas Gilmore defeated Sheriff Bill Lee. Cashin died on March 21, 2011, in a hospital in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, following a bout of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

.Alabama civil rights leader John Cashin dies at 82
/ref> His daughter

Sheryll Cashin Sheryll D. Cashin is a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, where her parents were political activists. Her parents' role in the civil rights movement impressed on her the importance of ...

is a professor at Georgetown University Law Center.He has two sons John Cashin and Carroll.

References

1928 births 2011 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights American dentists Meharry Medical College alumni Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama Tennessee State University alumni Deaths from pneumonia in Washington, D.C. Activists from Alabama National Democratic Party of Alabama politicians 20th-century dentists {{US-activist-stub