About Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., 82, American terrorist and convicted murderer (16th Street Baptist Church bombing).
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Full Biography
|Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. (June 20, 1938 – June 26, 2020) was an American domestic terrorist. He was sentenced to four life sentences for his role as conspirator in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, which killed four African American girls (Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, and Denise McNair). Blanton, along with Bobby Frank Cherry, was convicted in May 2001 in a highly publicized trial of the cold case. Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Blanton and Cherry.
Early life
Blanton was born in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 1938, and was the son of Thomas Edwin "Pops" Blanton Sr., who was described in 2001 as a notorious racist in the Birmingham, Alabama, area.
Education and career
Blanton had a tenth-grade education and served as an aircraft mechanic in the Navy from 1956 to 1959. Blanton was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1960s, along with the other suspects in the bombing.
Trial and imprisonment
At the time of his arrest in 2000, Blanton was working at a Walmart store and lived in a trailer with no running water.
Blanton was a suspect from early in the investigation, but J. Edgar Hoover reportedly prevented attempts by the Birmingham office or the Federal Bureau of Investigation to bring charges against Blanton and three other men. This was reportedly because Hoover thought a successful prosecution was unlikely. In a jury trial in 2001, Blanton was prosecuted by the state, and convicted of murder. He was sentenced to four life sentences in state prison.
He was housed at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. Blanton went before the parole board on August 3, 2016. Parole was denied and deferred until 2021.
Death
On June 26, 2020, Blanton died at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility after 19 years of incarceration, from unspecified causes while serving his life sentence, six days after his 82nd birthday.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Thomas Blanton, convicted in 1963 Alabama church bombing, dies in prison"nbcnews.com
- "Thomas Blanton, Who Bombed a Birmingham Church, Dies at 82"nytimes.com
Reported coverage of Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edwin_Blanton_Jr.
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.'s archived record and the sources above.
1.Where was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. born?
- A.Birmingham, Alabama
- B.Atlanta, Georgia
- C.Washington, D.C.correct
- D.Atmore, Alabama
The biography states that Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 1938.
Source: Early life section
2.What was the occupation of Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. in the Navy from 1956 to 1959?
- A.Supply clerk
- B.Naval officer
- C.Aircraft mechaniccorrect
- D.Radio operator
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. served as an aircraft mechanic in the Navy for three years.
Source: Education and career section
3.In what year was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. convicted of murder for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing?
- A.2001correct
- B.1998
- C.2000
- D.2005
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was convicted in a highly publicized trial in May 2001.
Source: Introduction
4.Who served as the prosecutor for the trial of Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.?
- A.J. Edgar Hoover
- B.Doug Jonescorrect
- C.Bobby Frank Cherry
- D.Frank Sikora
Future United States Senator Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.
Source: Introduction
5.What was the highest grade Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. completed in school?
- A.Tenth gradecorrect
- B.Eighth grade
- C.Twelfth grade
- D.College degree
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. had a tenth-grade education.
Source: Education and career section
6.At the time of his arrest in 2000, what was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.'s job?
- A.Security guard
- B.Construction worker
- C.Aircraft mechanic
- D.Walmart store employeecorrect
At the time of his arrest in 2000, Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was working at a Walmart store.
Source: Trial and imprisonment section
7.Which organization was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. a member of during the early 1960s?
- A.American Legion
- B.Ku Klux Klancorrect
- C.Birmingham Police Department
- D.Civil Rights Committee
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1960s.
Source: Education and career section
8.Why did J. Edgar Hoover allegedly prevent the FBI from bringing charges against Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. earlier?
- A.He believed Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was innocent
- B.He lacked enough evidence to proceed
- C.He thought a successful prosecution was unlikelycorrect
- D.He was pressured by the government to remain silent
J. Edgar Hoover reportedly prevented charges because he thought a successful prosecution was unlikely.
Source: Trial and imprisonment section
9.How many life sentences was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. given?
- A.One
- B.Six
- C.Two
- D.Fourcorrect
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was sentenced to four life sentences in state prison.
Source: Trial and imprisonment section
10.Where was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. housed after being convicted?
- A.Birmingham County Jail
- B.William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility
- C.Holman Correctional Facilitycorrect
- D.Washington Federal Penitentiary
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was housed at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.
Source: Trial and imprisonment section
11.What was the name of Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr.'s father?
- A.Bobby Frank Cherry Sr.
- B.Thomas Edwin Blanton Sr.correct
- C.Frank Sikora Blanton
- D.J. Edgar Blanton
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. was the son of Thomas Edwin 'Pops' Blanton Sr.
Source: Early life section
12.On what date did the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing occur?
- A.August 3, 2016
- B.June 26, 2020
- C.June 20, 1938
- D.September 15, 1963correct
The bombing occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963.
Source: Introduction
13.When did Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. pass away?
- A.May 2001
- B.August 3, 2016
- C.June 20, 1938
- D.June 26, 2020correct
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. died on June 26, 2020, six days after his 82nd birthday.
Source: Death section
14.What was the living situation of Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. when he was arrested in 2000?
- A.He lived in a house with his family
- B.He lived in a hotel room
- C.He lived in a trailer with no running watercorrect
- D.He lived at the Holman Correctional Facility
At the time of his arrest in 2000, Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. lived in a trailer with no running water.
Source: Trial and imprisonment section
15.How long was Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. incarcerated before he died?
- A.19 yearscorrect
- B.15 years
- C.10 years
- D.25 years
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. died after 19 years of incarceration.
Source: Death section
16.Who was the other suspect convicted alongside Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. in May 2001?
- A.Thomas Edwin Blanton Sr.
- B.Bobby Frank Cherrycorrect
- C.Frank Sikora
- D.Doug Jones
Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., along with Bobby Frank Cherry, was convicted in May 2001.
Source: Introduction
People who died on June 26
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