Harry Tyson Moore

Civil rights leader, teacher

• Born: November 18, 1905
• Birthplace: Houston, Florida
• Died: December 25, 1951
• Place of death: Mims, Florida

Deathplace: Mims, Florida

Significance: Harry Tyson Moore was the founder of the first National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch in Florida. He helped to lay the groundwork for the civil rights movement by fighting for equal pay, increased Black voter registration in Florida, and the investigation of lynchings.

Background

Harry Tyson Moore was born on November 18, 1905, in the small farming community of Houston, Florida, as the only child of Johnny and Rosa Moore. His father checked water tanks for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and ran a small store out of the family’s house. Johnny died when Harry was nine years old. Rosa went to work in the cotton fields and ran the store, but struggled to provide for her son. A year later, Rosa sent Moore to live with one of her sisters in Dayton Beach. In 1916, Harry moved to Jacksonville, where he lived with three other aunts who shared a home.

The aunts were educated and employed—two as teachers and one as a nurse—and they taught Moore to value education and independence. After three years with his aunts, he returned to his home in Suwanee County, where he attended Florida Memorial College’s high school program. Moore excelled in school, earning the nickname “Doc” from his friends. In May 1925, he graduated with a degree that allowed him to teach the elementary grades. For the next two years, he taught fourth grade at the only Black school in Cocoa, Florida, in remote Brevard County.

During this time, he met Harriette Vyda Symes, another teacher three years his elder. The two married in 1926. The Tysons moved to Daytona Beach and attended Bethune Cookman College, a historically Black college. After graduating, the couple moved to Mims, Florida, and lived with Harriette’s parents, eventually building a home on adjoining land. Harry Moore took a job as principal of Titusville Colored School, where he taught fourth through ninth grade and supervised a staff of six teachers.

Life’s Work

Beginning in the 1930s, the Tysons became involved with the civil rights work of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). They founded the Brevard County chapter of the NAACP in 1934. Harry Moore was named president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP In 1941. Working together, the Tysons increased the organization’s membership to more than ten thousand.

When the US Supreme Court ruled in 1944 that all-White primary elections were unconstitutional, the Tysons dove into voter registration, creating the Progressive Voters League of Florida. Through their efforts, the highest percentage of eligible Black voters were registered in Florida among all the Southern states. Harry Moore also led the fight to obtain equal pay for Black teachers in Brevard County. However, in 1946, both he and Harriette were fired from their teaching positions because of their political activism. After that, Harry took a paid position at the NAACP.

Harry Moore’s work with the NAACP, including efforts to enact anti-lynching laws, earned him the attention of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1949, four Black men were accused of raping a White woman in Groveland, Florida. One of the men was killed by a posse as they fled. The other three were captured and found guilty. Two of the thee were sentenced to death and the other to life in prison. Harry Moore rose to their defense, taking the case to the US Supreme Court where he sought to overturn their sentences. In April 1951, two of the men were awarded a new trial. The third men had not appealed his sentence. However, as the two men were being transported in handcuffs, the sheriff reported that they attacked him, so he shot them, killing one and injuring the other.

In the wake of the high-profile case, Harry Moore had become hated by the Ku Klux Klan in Florida. On Christmas Day in 1951, a bomb went off under the Moores’ home. Harry died on the thirty-mile trip to the nearest hospital that would accept Blacks. Harriette died in the same hospital nine days later.

The Moores were hailed as the first martyrs of the civil rights movement. Large rallies were held across the country, including one in New York City’s Madison Square Garden that featured a performance of “The Ballad of Harry Moore,” with lyrics written by Black poet Langston Hughes.

Florida called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the crime. Although the Ku Klux Klan was highly suspected, no one was ever charged. The case was closed in 1953. It was reopened several times, but the suspected four Klan members were already deceased.

Impact

Moore was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for outstanding achievement by an African American posthumously in 1952. However, over time, their story faded into history and received scant attention until the beginning of the twenty-first century. In the first two decades of the 2000s, the Moores posthumously received numerous honors and distinctions, such as roads and buildings named in their memory. A memorial park was built as the site of their home. In 2013, both Harry and Harietta were inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame, and in 2019, PBS produced the documentary Freedom Never Dies: The Story of Harry T. Moore.

Personal Life

Moore married Harriette Moore in 1926. The couple had two children, Annie Rosalea, who was born in 1928, and Evangeline, who was born in 1930.

Bibliography

Allen Greg. “Remembering the Man Who ‘Laid the Groundwork for the Modern Civil Rights Movement.’” National Public Radio, 2 Feb. 2022, www.npr.org/2022/02/01/1076141993/black-history-harry-hariette-moore/. Accessed 21 June 2023.

Brieskorn, Katlyn. “Who Were Harry & Harriette Moore, the Pioneering Activists from Mims?” WFTV.com, 7 Feb. 2022. www.wftv.com/news/local/who-were-harry-harriette-moore-pioneering-activists-mims/TQWGVYLKKRA57JESD6LJUUUEEU/. Accessed 21 June 2023.

Jones, Daralene. “‘Icons Before Their Time’: Meet Civil Rights Pioneers Harry & Harriette Moore.” WFTV.com, 11 Feb. 2021, www.wftv.com/news/local/meet-harry-harriette-moore-central-floridas-civil-rights-pioneers/5GZRSQVGFVH4BFZHPFERDUQJMY/. Accessed 21 June 2023.

“Biographical Sketch of Harry Moore.” PBS, 2000, www.pbs.org/harrymoore/harry/mbio.html. Accessed 23 June 2023.

Mitchell, Lisa. “Harry Tyson Moore Forgotten Florida Civil Rights Icon.” Hernando Sun, 25 Aug. 2018, www.hernandosun.com/2018/08/25/harry‗tyson‗moore‗forgotten‗florida‗civil‗rights‗icon/. Accessed 23 June 2023.