Baldwin, Roger Nash

Baldwin, Roger Nash

▪ American activist
born Jan. 21, 1884, Wellesley, Mass., U.S.
died Aug. 26, 1981, Ridgewood, N.J.

      American civil-rights activist, cofounder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

      Born into an aristocratic Massachusetts family, Baldwin attended Harvard University (B.A., 1904; M.A., 1905). He then taught sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. (1906–09), and also served as chief probation officer of the city's Juvenile Court (1907–10) and secretary of the reformist Civic League of St. Louis (1910–17). When the United States entered World War I, Baldwin became head of the pacifist American Union Against Militarism (predecessor of the ACLU), which defended draft resisters and conscientious objectors; in 1918–19 he spent nine months in jail for refusing to be drafted. Afterward, he wandered about for a year, joining the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and finally ending up in New York City in 1920 to help found the ACLU. He was its director (1920–50) and then its national chairman (1950–55).

      During Baldwin's tenure as head of the ACLU, the organization acquired such diverse clients as teacher John T. Scopes in the 1925 Tennessee “Monkey Trial”; the Jehovah's Witnesses, which won free-press rights in 1938; James Joyce, who had the ban lifted from his novel Ulysses; and Henry Ford, who was granted the right to distribute antiunion pamphlets. The ACLU defended persons of all persuasions, including radicals on the far left and on the far right.

      In 1940 Baldwin became disenchanted with the communists and removed them from the ACLU's board of directors. In the end he made civil rights a universal cause—a reversal of conditions in the 1920s and '30s, when civil liberties were widely regarded suspiciously as a radical or leftist cause.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Baldwin,Roger Nash — Baldwin, Roger Nash. 1884 1981. American civil rights activist. In 1918 he helped found the American Civil Liberties Union, which he directed from 1920 to 1950. * * * …   Universalium

  • Baldwin, Roger (Nash) — born Jan. 21, 1884, Wellesley, Mass., U.S. died Aug. 26, 1981, Ridgewood, N.J. U.S. civil rights leader. Born into an aristocratic Massachusetts family, Baldwin attended Harvard University and taught sociology at Washington University (1906–09)… …   Universalium

  • Baldwin, Roger (Nash) — (21 ene. 1884, Wellesley, Mass, EE.UU.–26 ago. 1981, Ridgewood, N.J.). Dirigente estadounidense de derechos civiles. Hijo de una aristocrática familia de Massachusetts, asistió a la Universidad de Harvard y enseñó sociología en la Universidad de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Roger Nash Baldwin — (January 21 1884 ndash; August 26 1981) was one of the founders of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He served as executive director of the ACLU until 1950. Many of the ACLU s original landmark cases took place under his direction,… …   Wikipedia

  • Roger Nash Baldwin — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Roger Nash Baldwin (21 de enero de 1884, Wellesley, Massachusetts 26 de agosto de 1981, Ridgewood, Nueva Jersey) fue un líder de los derechos civiles de su país natal, Estados Unidos. Nació en una familia… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Roger Nash Baldwin — (1884 1981) est un activiste américain connu pour avoir fondé l Union américaine pour les libertés civiles. Né à Wellesley dans le Massachusetts, il étudia à l Université Harvard puis enseigna à sociologie à l Université de Washington. Influencé… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Baldwin — Baldwin, James Baldwin, Stanley * * * (as used in expressions) Baldwin, James (Arthur) Baldwin, Robert Baldwin, Roger (Nash) Baldwin (de Bewdley), Stanley, 1 conde …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Nash — /nash/, n. 1. John, 1752 1835, English architect and city planner. 2. Ogden, 1902 71, U.S. writer of humorous verse. 3. Also, Nashe. Thomas, ( Pasquil ), 1567 1601, English dramatist, novelist, and satirical pamphleteer. * * * (as used in… …   Universalium

  • Nash — Nash, Paul * * * (as used in expressions) Baldwin, Roger (Nash) Nash, John Nash, John Forbes Nash, (Frederic) Ogden …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Baldwin (surname) — The name Baldwin is of English origin, from the Old English Bealdwine , or the Old German equivalent Baldavin , meaning bold friend . It was frequently used in medieval Britain as a surname.Real people* Abraham Baldwin (1754–1807), American… …   Wikipedia

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