Rev. Paul McDaniel preached his last sermon at Second Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday after 48 years in the pulpit.
His long career in the community included serving on the County Commission and heading the Unity Group.
He won a U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned a state law that forbid ministers to serve on county governing bodies.
Rev. McDaniel moved to Chattanooga in 1966 after pastoring churches in New York and New Jersey.