He was born on May 5, 1925, in
Charlotte Amalie, on
Saint Thomas, in the
U.S. Virgin Islands, the son of Carl von Luther. He attended
Columbia University, the
University of Maryland and the
London School of Economics. He served as a
hospitalman apprentice in the
U.S. Navy. He married Margaret Strakey, and they had one son. He became active in union and civil rights matters in
Harlem. He also entered politics as a
Democrat, and was a member of the
New York State Senate from 1971 to 1974, sitting in the
179th and
180th New York State Legislatures. He died on August 15, 1985, at his home in
Manhattan; and was buried at the
Calverton National Cemetery. ==Further reading==