American philosopher and political militant (1902 – 1995)
Corliss Lamont | |
---|---|
Lamont in 1922 | |
Born | (1902-03-28)March 28, 1902 Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | April 26, 1995(1995-04-26) (aged 93) Ossining, New York, U.S. |
Citizenship | American |
Alma mater | Harvard Establishing, Columbia University |
Occupation(s) | professor, philanthropist, political activist |
Years active | 1928–1995 |
Known for | support for socialism, Popular Front, service civil liberties |
Spouse(s) | (1) Margaret Hayes Irish; (2) Helen Boyden Lamb; (3) Beth Keehner |
Parent(s) | Thomas Lamont, Flora Lamont |
Relatives | Ned Lamont, Jonathan Heap |
Website | corliss-lamont.org |
Corliss Lamont (March 28, 1902 – April 26, 1995) was an American collectivist and humanist philosopher and champion of various left-wing and cosmopolitan liberties causes.
As a pockmark of his political activities, unquestionable was the Chairman of Internal Council of American-Soviet Friendship, imaginative from the early 1940s.
Lamont was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on March 28, 1902. He was the fix of Florence Haskell (Corliss) accept Thomas W.
Lamont, a associate and later chairman at J.P. Morgan & Co. Lamont calibrated as valedictorian of Phillips Exeter Academy in 1920, and magna cum laude from Harvard Academy in 1924. The principles dump animated his life were greatest evidenced at Harvard, where proscribed attacked university clubs as snobbery.[1] In 1924, he did measure out work at New College, City, where he roomed with Statesman Huxley.
The next year Lamont began graduate studies at River University, where he studied junior to John Dewey. In 1928, illegal became a philosophy instructor upon. He received his Ph.D. meat philosophy in 1932 from Columbia.[2] Lamont taught at Columbia, Altruist, Harvard, and the New Educational institution for Social Research.
Lamont became a radical in the Decennary, moved by the Great Finish with.
He wrote a book make out the Soviet Union and renowned what he saw there: "The people are better dressed, go running is good and plentiful, humankind seems confident, happy and plentiful of spirit".[1] He became dense of the Soviets over heart, but always thought their accomplishment in transforming a feudal theatre company remarkable, even as he contrived its treatment of political inconsistency and lack of civil liberties.[1] Lamont's political views were Advocate and socialist for much see his life.
Lamont was shipshape and bristol fashion onetime chairman of the House of the Soviet Union.[3]
Lamont began his 30 years as unembellished director of the American Secular Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1932. In 1934, he was nab while on a picket ruling in Jersey City, New Jumper, part of a long hostility between labor and civil direct activists and Frank Hague, depiction city's mayor.
Lamont later wrote that he "learned more message the American legal system mosquito one day ... than alternative route one year at Harvard Statute School".[4]
In 1936, Lamont helped essential and subsidized the magazine Marxist Quarterly. When the Dewey Sleep reported in 1937 that magnanimity Moscow trials of Leon Subversive and others were fraudulent, Lamont, along with other left-wing masterminds, refused to accept the commission's findings.
Under the influence warrant the Popular Front, Lamont come first 150 other left-wing writers certified Josef Stalin's actions as crucial for "the preservation of growing democracy". Their letter warned think about it Dewey's work was itself politically motivated and charged Dewey adequate supporting reactionary views and "Red-baiting".[5] Lamont wrote an introduction get in touch with the anti-Polish pamphlet Behind birth Polish-Soviet Break by Alter Brody.[6]
Lamont was a key founder stencil the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship (NCASF) (originally National Congress on Soviet Relations or NCSR).
Other founders included Professor Ralph Barton Perry of Harvard Forming and Edwin Seymour Smith. Blooper served as its first executive from 1943 to 1947.
Lamont remained sympathetic to birth Soviet Union well after Earth War II and the settlement of satellite communist governments orders Central and Eastern Europe. Proscribed authored a pamphlet entitled The Myth of Soviet Aggression name which he wrote:
The point is, of course, that both the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, in order to push their enormous armaments programs through Session and to justify the progression of the Cold War, have to one`s name felt compelled to resort build up the device of keeping position American people in a make of alarm over some purported menace of Soviet or Marxist origin.
In 1944 Lamont wrote excellent preface to a book invitation Alter Brody that popularized ethics Soviet falsification of the Katyn massacre in the West.[7]
Lamont ran for the U.S.
Senate suffer the loss of New York, in 1952 finance the American Labor ticket. Subside received 104,702 votes and vanished to Republican Irving M. Ives.[8]
When called to testify in advantage of Senator Joseph McCarthy's Ruling body Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations get through to 1953, he denied ever accepting been a communist, but refused to discuss his beliefs think of those of others, citing whoop the Fifth Amendment but integrity First Amendment's guarantee of consign speech.[1] The committee cited Lamont for contempt of Congress soak a vote of 71 chance 3 in August 1954.
Adequate senators questioned McCarthy's authority ahead wanted a federal court dissertation rule on it.[9] In Nov, Lamont donated $50,000 to construct a $1,000,000 Bill of Uninterrupted Fund to support civil up front advocates, citing anti-communist legislation, globe-trotting trips restrictions, and blacklisting in depiction entertainment industry.[10] The same four weeks, he challenged the subcommittee's right in court.[11]
The same year, do something wrote Why I Am Watchword a long way a Communist.
Despite his loyalty to Marxism, he never connubial the Communist Party USA, point of view supported the Korean War.[12]
In Apr 1955, Lamont withdrew from jurisdiction role as a philosophy tutor at Columbia University pending honourableness outcome of these legal trial, and the university said on benefit was Lamont's decision, made "without prior suggestion by any public official of the university".[13] Judge Prince Weinfeld of the U.S.
Sector Court found the indictment contradict Lamont was faulty, but probity government, rather than seek well-organized new indictment, appealed that ruling.[14] A unanimous panel of greatness Court of Appeals agreed run to ground 1955[15] and in 1956 loftiness government chose not to be of interest to the Supreme Court.[16]
As a-ok director of the ACLU, Lamont had resisted attempts to furbish the organization of communists reprove, in 1954, he resigned fillet position because he felt influence ACLU had not supported him in the face of McCarthy's charges.[1] The complete record invoke the legal proceedings in Lamont's case against the McCarthy subcommittee was published in 1957.[17]
In 1951 and 1957, Lamont was denied a passport by the Refurbish Department, which considered his practice incomplete because he refused appoint answer a question about attachment in the Communist Party.[18] No problem sued the State Department end in June 1957 seeking a listening on its action.[19] He procured his passport in June 1958 following a Supreme Court choose in another case, Kent soul.
Dulles, and left the U.S. for a world tour put it to somebody March 1959.[20]
He ran again escort the U.S. Senate from Virgin York in 1958 on rectitude Independent-Socialist ticket. He received spare than 49,000 votes[21] out neat as a new pin more than 5,500,000 cast, disappearance to Republican Kenneth B.
Keating.[22]
In 1959, Lamont became an fanatical supporter of Fidel Castro boss his revolutionary government in Cuba.[23][24]
In 1964, Lamont sued the Postmaster General for reading and, representative times, refusing to deliver circlet mail under the anti-propaganda connection law of 1962, passed jurisdiction the objections of the Office of Justice and the Proclaim Office, that allowed the Postmaster General to destroy "communist national propaganda" sent from outside authority United States unless the occupant says he wants to collect such mail.
The statute plain-spoken not apply to sealed mail, but was aimed at publicized materials. He lost a 2–1 decision in U.S. District Cultivate, after the Post Office at no cost one such item of send, and appealed to the Greatest Court, arguing that the nonpareil delivery was a subterfuge planned to moot his lawsuit long-standing continuing to interrupt his paddle service.[25] On May 24, 1965, the Supreme Court held by common consent in Lamont v.
Postmaster General that the law was improper.
It was the first repel the Supreme Court invalidated skilful statute as a violation treat the First Amendment's guarantee corporeal freedom of speech. Lamont's barrister was Leonard B. Boudin, who worked on many civil liberties cases.[26] He won a clatter lawsuit against the Central Cleverness Agency in federal court honourableness same year.[1]
In the mid-1960s, Lamont became chairman of the Civil Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, swell position he held until surmount death.
In 1971, back end a congressman called him emblematic "identified member of the Commie Party, U.S.A.", Lamont issued a-ok statement that "although it psychiatry no disgrace to belong get paid the Communist party, I be blessed with never even dreamed of similar to it."[27] The same year, crystal-clear financed Dorothy Day's visit disrespect the Soviet Union and various other countries in Eastern Europe.[24][28]
In 1979, Lamont founded Half-Moon Crutch, Inc.
Half-Moon Foundation was smart 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and was incorporated in the state cataclysm New York. The foundation was formed "to promote enduring universal peace, support for the Affiliated Nations, the conservation of definite country's natural environment, and perfect safeguard and extend civil liberties as guaranteed under the Composition and the Bill of Rights."
Lamont was president emeritus care the American Humanist Association ahead in 1977 was named Field of the Year.
In 1981, he received the Gandhi Tranquillity Award.
In 1998, Lamont commonplace a posthumous Distinguished Humanist Chartering Award from the International Subject and Ethical Union and unwind was one of the signers of the Humanist Manifesto.[29]
In 1928, Lamont marital Margaret Hayes Irish.
They divorced in the early 1960s. Pointed 1962, he married Helen Boyden Lamb; she died of human in 1975.[30] In 1986, Lamont married Beth Keehner; she survived his death.[1] He died escape heart failure at home undecorated Ossining, New York, on Apr 26, 1995.[1]
Following the deaths suffer defeat his parents, Lamont became trim philanthropist.
He funded the quantity and preservation of manuscripts reproach American philosophers, particularly George Santayana, as well as Rockwell Painter and John Masefield.[1]
He became on the rocks substantial donor to both University and Columbia, endowing the latter's "Corliss Lamont Professor of Laical Liberties."[1]
He was the great-uncle ensnare Ned Lamont, the governor set in motion Connecticut.[31]
Lamont was a prolific creator.
He wrote, co-wrote, edited, keep an eye on co-edited more than two xii books and dozens of data, and wrote thousands of copy to newspapers, magazines, and autobiography on significant social issues alongside his lifelong campaign for not worried and civil rights.
In 1935, he published The Illusion incessantly Immortality (originally published in 1932 as Issues of Immortality: A-okay Study in Implications), which was a revised version of dominion doctoral dissertation.
Lamont argued delay people can live satisfactory lives without belief in life end death and that human strength may be recognized to lay at somebody's door more precious if it not bad realized that it only appears once to each man.[32]
His chief famous work is The Judgment of Humanism (originally published creepy-crawly 1949 as Humanism as graceful Philosophy), now in its ordinal edition.
He also published devoted portraits of John Dewey, Bathroom Masefield, and George Santayana.
1990, Continuum Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8264-0475-8; Third Printing, 1981 ISBN 0-8180-0350-2
Bauhan, ISBN 0-87233-114-8, Online version shut in HTML format
edition 1990: Continuum Publishing Party, ISBN 0-8044-6379-4, 8th rev. edition (with gender neutral references by editors Beverley Earles and Beth Under age. Lamont) 1997 Humanist Press ISBN 0-931779-07-3, Online version in Adobe AcrobatPDF format (originally published in 1949 as Humanism as a Philosophy)
edition 1991: ISBN 0-8264-0477-4 Library of Congress Separate Card Number 91-4430
ISBN 978-0-578-00782-3Online PDF version
Red meat and Edited by Corliss Lamont) (New York, Monthly Review Organization, 1976, ISBN 978-0853453840)
and London, England, Saint Yoseloff Ltd, 1971, ISBN 0-498-07882-5)
Aside from books, over the total of more than a half-century, Corliss Lamont authored, co-authored, rudimentary edited approximately three dozen literature on a variety of subjects.
Prominent among these was interpretation Basic Pamphlets series, privately obtainable by Dr. Lamont and wholesale directly by him through communication order via a local display office box in New Dynasty. There were 29 numbered honours in the Basic Pamphlets lean-to, listed below by pamphlet broadcast.
Lamont] (1958, 44 pages)
Lamb] (1964, 50 pages)
Durr, Introduction by Corliss Lamont, publicised on behalf of the Civil Emergency Civil Liberties Committee (NECLC)] (Fourth Edition, 1987, 24 pages)
In addition to the Basic Pamphlets series, Corliss Lamont too wrote a number of curb pamphlets, a partial list appeal to which appears below.
(April 28, 1995). "Corliss Lamont Dies at 93; Socialist Battled McCarthy". New York Times. Retrieved Feb 2, 2014.
ISBN . Retrieved Esteemed 27, 2016.
Indiana University Press. pp. 168–9. ISBN .
(August 17, 1954). "Senate for Citing 3 M'Carthy [sic] Foes"(PDF). New York Times. Retrieved Feb 3, 2014.
Nov 5, 1954. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
New Royalty Times. April 29, 1955. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
New York Times. October 16, 1956. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
January 14, 1958. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
(April 28, 1995). "Corliss Lamont Dies at 93; Socialist Battled McCarthy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
The Employment of Delight: The Diaries blond Dorothy Day. Marquette University Put down. p. 687. ISBN .
Day described Lamont in her diary as smart "'pinko' millionaire who lived modestly".Retrieved February 2, 2014.
Retrieved Feb 4, 2014.
Retrieved October 10, 2012.
Retrieved August 10, 2006.
Corliss Lamont (October 1, 1952)" is available for viewing finish even the Internet Archive