This UMass Dartmouth Professor Wrote the Book on Martin Luther King’s Assassination

As we observe the anniversary of the tragic assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let’s also pay tribute to the Massachusetts man who literally wrote the book(s) on MLK’s murder and any conspiracies that may have surrounded it.

Dr. Philip H. Melanson taught history at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth for 35 years, including his most notable course, “Political Assassinations in America.” I was fortunate enough to take that course my freshman year at UMD in the spring of 1997, and it changed the way I looked at history, at the news, and at what we’re being told by those who are in power.

Through Dr. Melanson, I also learned of the work of other researchers such as Jim Marrs and Dan Moldea, who also served as influences for the journalist I would become and who I was fortunate enough to have as guests on my radio shows over the years.

Melanson himself was a very prolific writer, penning 15 books, including two on the MLK assassination. The Murkin Conspiracy: Investigation into the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Assassination: New Revelations on the Conspiracy and Cover Up and Who Killed Martin Luther King were all required reading for Dr. Melanson’s class, and not just because he wanted to increase his book sales at the campus bookstore. They gave you insight into the diligence of his work and investigative skills that led to the encyclopedic knowledge he had on the case when standing before the class.

However, he didn’t focus just on MLK. He also wrote about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as well as other conspiracies. Melanson also wrote two books on the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and was the coordinator of the Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Archives Collection at UMass Dartmouth, which is still housed to this day in the Claire T. Carney Library on campus.

Dr. Melanson felt that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of King’s assassination, was far too dumb and incompetent of a criminal to pull off such a heinous act. So who did he think did it? I’ll let you read his books and find out for yourself.

Sadly, Dr. Melanson, who lived in Marion, passed away from cancer in 2006 at the age of 62.

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In honor of his life and work, and in honor of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, remember the lessons they taught us: search for the truth, believe in what’s right and never settle for what we’re being told.