Born June 27, 1911 in Abbeville, South Carolina, Jacob Robert "Jake" Henderson earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from South Carolina State A&M College and a master's degree in economics from Atlanta University.

A successful businessman, Mr. Henderson co-owned Henderson Travel Service with his wife of fifty-six years, Freddye Scarborough Henderson. Their clients have included the Reverend Martin Luther King , Jr. and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

A member of the Atlanta Urban League since 1941, Mr. Henderson was involved in integrating the workforce at the old Bell Bomber Plant , now Lockheed Martin's Marietta facility. He was chairman of AUL's board from 1969 to 1974 and had retained the title of President Emeritus ever since. With Atlanta Mayors Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, Mr. Henderson worked on public housing and economic development programs in the city. He was also an active board member and officer of the Butler Street YMCA for twenty-five years.

In 1982, Mr. Henderson was named Honorary Consul of the Republic of Senegal, in West Africa, by that country's president, Abdou Diouf.

Mr. Henderson, 85, of Atlanta, died March 13, 1997 from complications of Alzheimer's disease at Southwest Hospital and Medical Center. Surviving in addition to his wife are three daughters, Carole Henderson Tyson, Kingston, Jamaica, Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey, Washington, D.C. , and Shirley H. Coleman of Atlanta; son, Jacob R. Henderson, Jr. of Atlanta; three brothers, Homer Henderson of Sparta, Georgia, Raymond Henderson of Hartsville, South Carolina, and Dr. William G. D. Henderson of Atlanta; seven grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

All Citizens Registration Committee Work:

As a member of the All Citizens Registration Committee of Wheat St. Baptist Church, Jake Sr., along with others helped get 19,000 Black people to vote in the 1946 election.

Economic Development Administration

As EDA Specialist, Jake Henderson Sr. helped fund various homes, businesses, and govermental proceedings for Atlanta and other cities in the country.