Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr. (March 10, 1908 - January 11, 1966) was an American civil rights leader and president of the Forrest County chapter of the NAACP, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer was born March 10, 1908, to George and Ellen Dahmer of Forrest County, Mississippi. He attended Bay Spring High School.

In March 1952 Dahmer married Ellie Jewell Davis, a teacher from Rose Hill, Mississippi. Vernon and Ellie had eight children in their family, including their daughter Bettie and son Dennis. The family home in north Forrest County was part of the Kelly Settlement area. Ellie Dahmer also taught for many years in Richton, Mississippi and retired in 1987 from the Forrest County school system.

Dahmer was a member of Shady Grove Baptist Church where he served as music director and Sunday School teacher. A successful businessman, he was the owner of a store, a sawmill, a planing mill, and a 200-acre (0.81 km2) farm; he also farmed commercially with 300 acres (1.2 km2) additional planted in cotton.

Dahmer served several terms as president of the Forrest County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and led voter registration drives in the 1960s. He kept a voter registration book in his store in late 1965 to make it easier for African Americans to register. Dahmer also helped the local African-American population pay a poll tax for the right to vote. His mantra was, "If you don't vote, you don't count," and those words, which he repeated on his deathbed, were used as his epitaph.<1>


On the night of January 10, 1966, the Dahmer home was firebombed. As Dahmer's wife and children escaped the inferno, gunshots were fired and Vernon returned fire from within the house. He was severely burned about the head, face, arms, and upper body before he could escape. His 10-year-old daughter, Bettie, also suffered painful burns. The Dahmer home, grocery store, and car were destroyed. Dahmer died on January 11, 1966, from the effect of burns in his respiratory tract.

The rest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_Dahmer