Herbert Turner Jenkins (June 7, 1907 – July 20, 1990) was an American law enforcement official and the longest-serving

police chief A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or sometimes just a chief, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Early life

Herbert Turner Jenkins was born on June 7, 1907, in

Lithonia, Georgia Lithonia ( , AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolita ...

, to police officer Gordon Alexander Jenkins (1886-1932) and his wife Jane "Jennie" Elliott Jenkins (1888-1978). Jenkins moved to Atlanta in 1924 to work in its first automotive dealership.

Career

He joined the

Atlanta Police Department The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, ...

in 1932 and was made chief in 1947. He served as chief for 25 years until retiring in 1972 shepherding the city through racial strife during the desegregation of public transportation,

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

and parks. Fully backed by Mayor

William Hartsfield William Berry Hartsfield Sr. (March 1, 1890 – February 22, 1971), was an American politician who served as the 49th and 51st Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. His tenure extended from 1937 to 1941 and again from 1942 to 1962, making him the longest-s ...

, he was able to bring all parties to the table helping Atlanta progress mostly peacefully through straits that crippled other Southern cities. After retiring, he became a researcher at

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

and authored books about Atlanta history.

Personal life and death

His wife, Marguerite "Margie" Mason Jenkins, died in 1987, and Jenkins died by suicide three years later. He was buried next to his wife at the Rockbridge Baptist Church cemetery in

Norcross, Georgia Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 15 miles northeast of Atlanta city limits. According to the 2010 census, the population was 9,116, while in 2020, the population increased to 17,209. Norcross is part of the Atlanta metropol ...

, and survived by two sons.

Bibliography

* ''Keeping the Peace'' *''Forty Years on the Force (1932–1972)'' *''Atlanta and the Automobile'' (1977)

References

*''Atlanta in the Age of Pericles'' by James Sage Jenkins (1996)
Findagrave: Herbert Jenkins

External links

Herbert T. Jenkins Photograph Collection
from the

Atlanta History Center The Atlanta History Center is a history museum and research center located in the Buckhead (Atlanta), Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The Museum was founded in 1926, and has a large campus featuring historic gardens a ...