Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia and was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement, In 1964, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.