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| A Rising Black Leader Who Pulled Off His Own Fake Obituary | A Rising Black Leader Who Pulled Off His Own Fake Obituary |
| (1 day later) | |
| It is impossible to know what Grady O’Cummings III might have represented to the group of youngsters he was holding court with in this photo taken in September 1963. | It is impossible to know what Grady O’Cummings III might have represented to the group of youngsters he was holding court with in this photo taken in September 1963. |
| Mr. O’Cummings, who was photographed with the youngsters outside his office in Harlem, announced the next month that he would seek the Democratic nomination to run for president in 1964. He was one of the first African-Americans to run for president. | Mr. O’Cummings, who was photographed with the youngsters outside his office in Harlem, announced the next month that he would seek the Democratic nomination to run for president in 1964. He was one of the first African-Americans to run for president. |
| Certainly Mr. O’Cummings must have represented hope and possibility to the boys who had gathered around him that day. | Certainly Mr. O’Cummings must have represented hope and possibility to the boys who had gathered around him that day. |
| Dedicated to economic and political empowerment for blacks, Mr. O’Cummings founded the National Civil Rights Party in 1963 to foster black enterprise and to appeal to liberal whites. He said at the time that the organization had 450 members, with branches in Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia. The party designated him its presidential nominee days before he decided to run as a Democrat. | Dedicated to economic and political empowerment for blacks, Mr. O’Cummings founded the National Civil Rights Party in 1963 to foster black enterprise and to appeal to liberal whites. He said at the time that the organization had 450 members, with branches in Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia. The party designated him its presidential nominee days before he decided to run as a Democrat. |
| It will never be known where Mr. O’Cummings’s ambitious political aspirations might have taken him. His dreams appeared to be cut short when it was reported that he had had a massive heart attack and died at home in November 1969, at just 36. | It will never be known where Mr. O’Cummings’s ambitious political aspirations might have taken him. His dreams appeared to be cut short when it was reported that he had had a massive heart attack and died at home in November 1969, at just 36. |
| The New York Times ran an obituary about the unexpected death of the promising political novice who, sadly, was lost in his prime. | The New York Times ran an obituary about the unexpected death of the promising political novice who, sadly, was lost in his prime. |
| Or was he? | Or was he? |
| Mr. O’Cummings was not quite the determined political up-and-comer that he seemed. He had faked his death and was very much alive when he bamboozled The Times and The Amsterdam News into publishing his obituary. | Mr. O’Cummings was not quite the determined political up-and-comer that he seemed. He had faked his death and was very much alive when he bamboozled The Times and The Amsterdam News into publishing his obituary. |
| In fact, this report might well also serve as the newspaper’s long overdue correction. For it was only during the reporting for this article that The Times realized it had written of Mr. O’Cummings’s hoax. | In fact, this report might well also serve as the newspaper’s long overdue correction. For it was only during the reporting for this article that The Times realized it had written of Mr. O’Cummings’s hoax. |
| This is what actually happened. | This is what actually happened. |
| Just four months after he sent in his obituary to The Times, he re-emerged — at a news conference in Brooklyn, which went unnoticed by The Times. For an explanation of why he faked his death, Mr. O’Cummings said he had simply been trying to elude members of the Black Panthers, who he said had made death threats against him and his family, according to an article about the news conference in The Amsterdam News. | Just four months after he sent in his obituary to The Times, he re-emerged — at a news conference in Brooklyn, which went unnoticed by The Times. For an explanation of why he faked his death, Mr. O’Cummings said he had simply been trying to elude members of the Black Panthers, who he said had made death threats against him and his family, according to an article about the news conference in The Amsterdam News. |
| “I had to get out because I was trying to protect my family,” The News quoted Mr. O’Cummings as saying. He explained that he had fled to Buffalo, where he remained for months. “My wife, Winnie, was assaulted by four Black Panthers, and it made me very angry. I didn’t go to the police because I am not an informer and didn’t want to get involved.” | “I had to get out because I was trying to protect my family,” The News quoted Mr. O’Cummings as saying. He explained that he had fled to Buffalo, where he remained for months. “My wife, Winnie, was assaulted by four Black Panthers, and it made me very angry. I didn’t go to the police because I am not an informer and didn’t want to get involved.” |
| The News’s account never explained why he had decided that the threat to his family had diminished enough in just four months for him to re-emerge, and in such public and dramatic fashion. | The News’s account never explained why he had decided that the threat to his family had diminished enough in just four months for him to re-emerge, and in such public and dramatic fashion. |
| Perhaps at least partly because he had misled the public, he never attained the political success he sought. | Perhaps at least partly because he had misled the public, he never attained the political success he sought. |
| Years before, Mr. O’Cummings’s presidential run had proved to be as short-lived as his faked death. In early March 1964, about five months after he was designated the presidential candidate of his National Civil Rights Party, he withdrew and said he would become his party’s candidate for the seat held by Representative John J. Rooney, a Democrat, in Brooklyn’s 14th Congressional District (as reported by The Times in a brief article). | Years before, Mr. O’Cummings’s presidential run had proved to be as short-lived as his faked death. In early March 1964, about five months after he was designated the presidential candidate of his National Civil Rights Party, he withdrew and said he would become his party’s candidate for the seat held by Representative John J. Rooney, a Democrat, in Brooklyn’s 14th Congressional District (as reported by The Times in a brief article). |
| Several decades later, The Times did mention Mr. O’Cummings and his candidacy for City Council, in an article about the 1993 race. Even then, though, the newspaper did not correct the story of his death or run an editor’s note about it. | Several decades later, The Times did mention Mr. O’Cummings and his candidacy for City Council, in an article about the 1993 race. Even then, though, the newspaper did not correct the story of his death or run an editor’s note about it. |
| Professionally, Mr. O’Cummings worked in public relations, including as the community relations representative for the Welfare Policemen’s Benevolent Association. He was a native of Greenville, S.C., who graduated from City College of New York. Mr. O’Cummings also was publisher of New York Speakout, a weekly newspaper in Brooklyn, where he lived. And he served as a president of the youth council of the Manhattan division of the N.A.A.C.P. | Professionally, Mr. O’Cummings worked in public relations, including as the community relations representative for the Welfare Policemen’s Benevolent Association. He was a native of Greenville, S.C., who graduated from City College of New York. Mr. O’Cummings also was publisher of New York Speakout, a weekly newspaper in Brooklyn, where he lived. And he served as a president of the youth council of the Manhattan division of the N.A.A.C.P. |
| Mr. O’Cummings went on to live a long life. As for his death, it is never too late to set the record straight. | Mr. O’Cummings went on to live a long life. As for his death, it is never too late to set the record straight. |
| The Times can now report with the authority of having seen Mr. O’Cummings’s death certificate that he died of natural causes on June 2, 1996, at the age of 63. | The Times can now report with the authority of having seen Mr. O’Cummings’s death certificate that he died of natural causes on June 2, 1996, at the age of 63. |
| It was 27 years after his obituary appeared in this publication. The Times did not publish a second one. | It was 27 years after his obituary appeared in this publication. The Times did not publish a second one. |
| This series will be part of a book with additional unseen photographs, and new stories, titled “Unseen: Unpublished Black History From the New York Times Archives,” to be published by Black Dog & Leventhal in the fall of 2017. |