Leon Jordan

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Leon Mercer Jordan (May 6, 1905 – July 15, 1970) was a prominent African-American civil rights leader and politician from Kansas City, Missouri. He co-founded Freedom, Inc., a group that encouraged Black voter registration and supported Black political candidates. He served in the Missouri House of Representatives and was a powerful figure in Kansas City politics.

Born in Kansas City, Jordan attended Lincoln High School and Wilberforce University, graduating in 1933. He served in the U.S. Army and later worked as a teacher. In 1938, he joined the Kansas City Police Department and rose to detective. He spent several years in Liberia training police and was honored by Liberia in 1948. He also became a life member of the NAACP in 1951. Jordan returned to Kansas City in the early 1950s, became the city’s first African-American police lieutenant in 1952, and later left the police force to focus on politics and business.

In 1962, Jordan and Bruce R. Watkins started Freedom, Inc. to boost Black political participation. They helped desegregate public facilities in 1963 and, in 1964, saw seven of eight Freedom, Inc. candidates win, including Jordan, who was elected to the Missouri House for three terms. He campaigned for a fourth term and was murdered outside his Green Duck Tavern on July 15, 1970. Witnesses said the shooters were Black, and the case involved alleged mob links; no one was convicted.

After his death, his widow Orchid I. Jordan ran for his seat and served in the Missouri House for sixteen years. A memorial park in Kansas City honors him, with a statue and plaque, and his papers are housed at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. A documentary about his life, A Legacy of Leadership, was funded in 2019. The murder weapon, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, had a troubled history connected to stolen guns and mob activity, a detail that emerged years later through investigative reporting.