Henry L. Relaford, a longtime Riceboro city councilman and civil-rights advocate, has died, current Riceboro Mayor William T. Austin said in a statement issued Thursday.

Relaford was 95.

“The mayor and the entire staff of the city of Riceboro wishes to express it’s condolences to the family of Mr. Henry L. Relaford on the occasion of his death,” Austin said in the statement.

Relaford served on the Riceboro City Council from June 1, 1982, through Dec. 31, 2007. He was a World War II veteran, and he is credited with helping establish Liberty County’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.

Relaford won the Liberty County branch of the NAACP’s President’s Award in 2009.

“He was a champion of and for the people,  and was a persistent  advocate and defender of citizens’ rights,” Austin said.

Look for more about Relaford’s life in Sunday’s Coastal Courier.