Jesse Jackson, a dynamic Black civil rights leader, gained worldwide recognition as a contender for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1984. Although he was defeated by Walter Mondale, he won substantial support. Appointed by Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1966 as director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's "Operation Breadbasket" he was effective through economic boycotts in persuading many white-owned companies to change their hiring and promotion policies. Because of Jackson's close work with King, he became King's protege. He was with King at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis when King was assassinated in 1968.