Quick Facts
- NAME: Huey Percy Newton
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist
- BIRTH DATE: February 17, 1942
- DEATH DATE: August 22, 1989
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Monroe, Louisiana
- PLACE OF DEATH: Oakland, California
Best Known For
Huey P. Newton helped establish the Black Panther Party, becoming a leading figure in the black power movement of the 1960s.
Huey P. Newton. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 11:08, May 22, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369
Huey P. Newton [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369, May 22
" Huey P. Newton." 2012. Biography.com 22 May 2012, 11:08 http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369
' Huey P. Newton', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369 [accessed May 22, 2012]
" Huey P. Newton," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369 (accessed May 22, 2012).
Huey P. Newton [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 22]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369.
Huey P. Newton, http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369 (last visited May 22, 2012).
Huey P. Newton, http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369 (last visited May 22, 2012).
Synopsis
Early Life
Social activist. Born Huey Percy Newton on February 17, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana. Newton helped establish the controversial African American political organization, The Black Panther Party and became a leading figure in the black power movement of the 1960s. As a teenager growing up in Oakland, California, he got in trouble with the law - as he did numerous times throughout his life.Black Panther Creation
Despite his legal run-ins, Newton began to take his education seriously. Although he graduated high school in 1959, Newton barely knew how to read. He became his own teacher, learning to read by himself. In the mid-1960s Newton decided to pursue his education at Merritt College where he met Bobby Seale. The two were briefly involved with political groups at the school before they set out to create one of their own. Founded in 1966, they called their group The Black Panther Party for Self Defense. Unlike many of the other social and political organizers of the time, they took a militant stance, advocating the ownership of guns by African Americans, and were often seen brandishing weapons. A famous photograph shows Newton - the group’s minister of defense - holding a gun in one hand and a spear in the other.The group believed that violence - or the threat of violence - might be needed to bring about social change. They set forth their political goals in a document called the Ten-Point Program, which included better housing, jobs, and education for African Americans. It also called for an end to economic exploitation of black communities. Still the organization itself was not afraid to punctuate its message with a show of force. For example, to protest a gun bill in 1967, Newton and other members of the Panthers entered the California Legislature fully armed. The action was a shocking one that made news across the country. And Newton emerged as a leading figure in the black militant movement.
Arrest and Conviction
The Black Panthers wanted to improve life in black communities and established social programs to help those in need. They also fought against police brutality in black neighborhoods by mostly white cops. Members of the group would go to arrests in progress and watch for abuse. Newton himself was arrested in 1967 for allegedly killing an Oakland police officer during a traffic stop. He was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison. But public pressure - "Free Huey" became a popular slogan of the day - helped Newton’s cause. The case was eventually dismissed after two retrials ended with hung juries.During its existence, members of the group clashed with police several times. The party’s treasurer, Bobby Hutton, was even killed during of these conflicts in 1968. In the 1970s, the Black Panthers began to fall apart. Key members left, and Newton faced more criminal charges. To avoid prosecution, he fled to Cuba in 1971, but he returned three years later.
Later Years
With the Panthers in disarray, Newton returned to school, earning a Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1980. In his final years, however, it is believed that he suffered from a drug problem. The once popular revolutionary died on August 22, 1989, in Oakland, California, after being shot on the street.© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Huey P. Newton profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Aquarians 477 people in this group
-
Famous Black Activists
View groupAfrican-Americans have a long history of activism in America, from fighting for the right to vote to pushing for integrated public spaces. Activists like Stokely Carmichael organized freedom rides, James Meredith fought to integrate blacks and whites at the University of Mississippi, and Rosa Parks instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These protests were often legal and nonviolent, and made a powerful impact on civil rights in the U.S. With the help of activists like these—and many others—the country slowly worked to acknowledge the basic rights and contributions of African-Americans. Learn more about the many African-American activists who fought against the odds in order to achieve equality.
Famous Black Activists 117 people in this group
-
Famous Civil Rights Activists
View groupBrowse notable civil rights activists such as Nina Simone, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Famous Civil Rights Activists 131 people in this group

Mark Zuckerberg
Mobsters
Icons of the Wild West
Robin Gibb
My Ghost Story
Mobsters
Robert Downey Jr
Margaret Thatcher
Marilyn Monroe
I Survived


