Jacob << JAY kuhb >>, John Edward (1934-…), a civil rights leader, served as president of the National Urban League from 1982 to 1994. He replaced Vernon Jordan, who had held the position since 1972. Jacob spent much of his career with the Urban League. He started working for the organization in 1965 as director of education and youth incentives at the Washington, D.C., chapter. Jacob later served as acting executive director and president of that chapter and as executive director of the San Diego Urban League. In 1979, he became executive vice president of the national office of the Urban League under Jordan.
Jacob was born in Trout, La., and grew up in Houston. He received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Howard University. Before joining the Urban League, Jacob was a social worker for the Department of Public Welfare in Baltimore.
