Albert John Luthuli

Albert John Luthuli , 1898?-1967, African political leader in the Republic of South Africa. Descended from a line of Christian Zulu chiefs, he was educated at Adams College, a mission school near Durban, and taught there for 15 years. He was appointed chief (1935) and, remaining active in church affairs, preached non-violence in the Africans' campaign against racial discrimination. Although devoutly religious, he grew disillusioned with the church's racial position and became active politically. In 1946 he joined the African National Congress (ANC). When he refused to resign (1952) from the presidency of the ANC, the South African government deposed him as chief and applied severe restrictions on his activities. Nevertheless, he led a campaign of passive resistance against the apartheid laws. In 1956, with some 150 other critics of the government, he was arrested on charges of treason; after a prolonged mass trial he was acquitted. In 1959 the government banished him to his village and outlawed (1960) the ANC, which continued to operate underground. A government law in 1962 banned publication of his statements in the media. A firm believer in the political and spiritual force of passive resistance, he was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize. Despite some criticism of his passive philosophy, he was highly regarded by most black South Africans. He is the author of an autobiography, Let My People Go (1962).

Bibliography: See biography by M. Benson (1963); study by E. Callan (rev. ed. 1965).

Luthuli, Albert John (or Lutuli, Albert John) (c.1898–1967) South African political leader. He inherited a Zulu chieftaincy in 1935 and was President of the African National Congress from 1952 to 1960. Luthuli's presidency was marked by the Defiance Campaign, his programme of civil disobedience. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960 for his commitment to non-violence as a means of opposing apartheid.

Luthuli, Albert John Mvumbi (1898–1967) South African civil-rights leader. Elected chief of a Zulu community, he became president of the African National Congress in 1952, during a period of increasing militancy that led to the banning of the ANC in 1960. In 1960, Luthuli became the first African to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Thereafter, the apartheid government restricted his movements and banned his publications in 1962.