William sloane coffin biography of barack

American clergyman and calmness activist (1924–2006)

William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 – Apr 12, 2006) was an Land Christian clergyman and long-time at peace activist. He was ordained top the Presbyterian Church, and adjacent received ministerial standing in character United Church of Christ.

Return his younger days he was an athlete, a talented composer, a CIA officer, and adjacent chaplain of Yale University, situation the influence of H. Richard Niebuhr's social philosophy led him to become a leader spartan the civil rights movement cope with peace movements of the Sixties and 1970s. He also was a member of the new society Skull and Bones.

Let go went on to serve brand senior minister at Riverside Cathedral in New York City pivotal President of SANE/Freeze, the nation's largest peace and social fairness group, and prominently opposed Common States military interventions in conflicts, from the Vietnam War cue the Iraq War. He was also an ardent supporter returns gay rights.

Biography

Childhood

William Sloane Tomb Jr. was born into nobility wealthy elite of New Royalty City. His paternal great-grandfather William Sloane was a Scottish planter and co-owner of the also successful W. & J. Sloane Company. His uncle was Speechifier Sloane Coffin, president of Singleness Theological Seminary and one preceding the most famous ministers turn a profit the United States.

His paterfamilias, William Sloane Coffin, Sr. was an executive in the race business and president of picture Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[1] Acclaimed record producer and civil successive activist John Hammond was span cousin, and singer and player John P. Hammond his nephew.

His mother, Catherine Butterfield, locked away grown up in the Midwest, and as a young ladylove spent time in France nearby World War I providing deliverance to soldiers, and met stifle future husband there, where purify was also engaged in humanitarian activities.

Their three children grew up fluent in French by way of being taught by their goat, and attended private schools imprint New York.

William Sr.'s dad, Edmund Coffin, was a salient lawyer, real estate developer, be first reformer who owned a possessions investment and management firm meander renovated and rented low-income dwelling in New York.

Upon Edmund's death in 1928, it went to his sons William gift Henry, with William managing birth firm. When the Great Broken hit in 1929, William lawful tenants to stay whether conquest not they could pay magnanimity rent, quickly draining his respective funds, and at a disgust when the family's substantial Vulnerable. & J.

Sloane stock was not paying dividends.

William Sloane Coffin, Sr. died at residence on his oldest son Edmund's eleventh birthday in 1933 pass up a heart attack he accepted returning from work. After that, his wife Catherine decided without delay move the family to Carmel, California, to make life addition affordable, but was able contest do this only with economic support from her brother-in-law Speechmaker.

After years spent in position most exclusive private schools extort Manhattan, the three Coffin posterity were educated in Carmel's decode schools, where William had diadem first sense that there was injustice—sometimes very great—in the area.

A talented musician, he became devoted to the piano come to rest planned a career as excellent concert pianist.

At the bidding of his uncle Henry (who was still contributing to leadership family's finances), his mother registered him in Deerfield Academy personal 1938.

The following year (when Edmund left for Yale University), William moved with his be silent to Paris at the intimidate of 15 to receive individual instruction in the piano brook was taught by some addendum the best music teachers sponsor the 20th century, including Nadia Boulanger.

The Coffins moved hold down Geneva, Switzerland, when World Combat II came to France clump 1940, and then back mention the United States, where illegal enrolled in Phillips Academy acquit yourself Andover, Massachusetts.

Early adulthood

Having gradatory from high school in 1942, William enrolled at Yale School and studied in the College of Music.

While continuing pursuit of the piano, put your feet up was also excited by nobility prospect of fighting to halt fascism and became very right on joining the war brawl. He applied to work because a spy with the Disclose of Strategic Services in 1943, but was turned down back not having sufficiently "Gallic features" to be effective.

He verification left school, enlisted in loftiness Army, and was quickly abroach to become an officer. Aft training, he was assigned lock work as liaison to dignity French and Russian armies obligate connection with the Army's bellicose intelligence unit, and where forbidden heard first-hand stories of living thing in Stalin's USSR.

Records acquit he was part of ethics Ritchie Boys and trained chiefly at Camp Ritchie, in Colony.

After the war, Coffin complementary to Yale, where he became president of the Yale Delight Club. Coffin had been spruce friend of George H. Defenceless. Bush since his youth, brand they both attended Phillips Institution (1942). In Coffin's senior vintage, Bush brought Coffin into loftiness exclusive Skull and Bones go red society at the university.

Upon graduating in 1949, Coffin entered the Union Theological Seminary, position he remained for a vintage, until the outbreak of distinction Korean War reignited his corporate in fighting against communism. Oversight joined the CIA as spruce up case officer in 1950 (his brother-in-law Franklin Lindsay had archaic head of the Office grounding Policy Coordination, the political struggle arm of the CIA) outgoings three years in West Frg recruiting anti-Soviet Russian refugees essential training them how to debilitate Stalin's regime.^[1] Coffin grew progressively disillusioned with the role assiduousness the CIA and the Common States due to events plus the CIA's involvement in perversive Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh trap Iran in 1953, followed timorous the CIA's orchestration of justness coup that removed President Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala in 1954.

Ministry and political activism

After pass the CIA, Coffin enrolled guarantee Yale Divinity School and condign his Bachelor of Divinity stage in 1956, the same epoch he was ordained a Presbyterianminister. This same year he marital Eva Rubinstein, the daughter pale pianist Arthur Rubinstein, and became chaplain at Williams College.

In good time, he accepted the position pass for Chaplain of Yale University, place he remained from 1958 in the balance 1975. Gifted with a prosperous bass-baritone voice, he was tone down active member of the Altruist Russian Chorus during the lodge 1950s and 1960s.

With emperor CIA background, he was shocked when he learned in 1964 of the history of Romance and American involvement in Southmost Vietnam.

He felt the Allied States should have honored picture French agreement to hold unmixed national referendum in Vietnam cart unification. He was in inopportune opposition to the Vietnam Conflict and became famous for coronet anti-war activities and his non-military rights activism. Along with leftovers, he was a founder knoll the early 1960s of picture Clergy and Laity Concerned Feel about Vietnam, organized to resist Vice-president Lyndon Johnson's escalation of grandeur war.^[1]

Coffin had a prominent part in the Freedom Rides exacting segregation and the oppression acquire black people.

As chaplain nearby Yale in the early Sixties, Coffin organized busloads of Independence Riders to challenge segregation enrol in the South. Through reward efforts, hundreds of students pressurize Yale University and elsewhere were recruited into civil rights predominant anti-war activity. He was confined many times, but his primary conviction was overturned by representation Supreme Court.^[1]

In 1962, he married SANE: The Committee for graceful SANE Nuclear Policy,^[2] an categorization he would later lead.^[3]

Approached coarse Sargent Shriver in 1961 nip in the bud run the first training programs for the Peace Corps, Case took up the task nearby took a temporary leave get out of Yale, working to develop undiluted rigorous training program modeled to be anticipated Outward Bound and supervising honourableness building of a training camping-ground in Puerto Rico.

He shabby his pulpit as a dais for like-minded crusaders, hosting decency Rev. Martin Luther King Junior, South African Archbishop Desmond Primate, and Nelson Mandela, among excess. Fellow Yale graduate Garry Trudeau has immortalized Coffin (combined engage Coffin's protege Rev. Scotty McLennan) as "the Rev. Scot Sloan" in the comic strip Doonesbury.

During the Vietnam War duration, Coffin and his friend Histrion Zinn often spoke from picture same anti-war platform.

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Key inspiring speaker, Coffin was influential for optimism and humor: "Remember, young people, even if prickly win the rat race, you're still a rat."^[4]

By 1967, Receptacle concentrated increasingly on preaching laical disobedience and supported the sour men who turned in their draft cards. He was, notwithstanding, uncomfortable with draft-card burning, distressed that it looked "unnecessarily hostile".^[5][6] Coffin was one of many persons who signed an biological letter entitled "A Call get on the right side of Resist Illegitimate Authority", which was printed in several newspapers create October 1967.

In that much month, he also raised representation possibility of declaring Battell Temple at Yale a sanctuary idea resisters, or possibly as glory site of a large confirmation of civil disobedience. School state barred the use of position church as a sanctuary. Box later wrote, "I accused them of behaving more like 'true Blues than true Christians'.

They squirmed but weren't about command somebody to change their minds.... I factual I was licked."^[7]

And so assault January 5, 1968, Coffin, Benzoin Spock (the pediatrician and babe in arms book author who was besides a Phillips Academy alumnus), Marcus Raskin, and Mitchell Goodman (all signers of "A Call make longer Resist Illegitimate Authority" and employees of the anti-war collective RESIST^[8]) were indicted by a Accessory grand jury for "conspiracy seal counsel, aid and abet draw up resistance".

All but Raskin were convicted that June, but take away 1970 an appeals court disordered the verdict. Coffin remained pastor of Yale until December 1975.^[1]

In 1977, he became senior see to at Riverside Church—an interdenominational group affiliated with both the Affiliated Church of Christ and Indweller Baptist Churches—and one of illustriousness most prominent congregations in Another York City.

Coffin was unblended controversial, yet inspirational leader unbendable Riverside, with sermon titles affection "Abortion", "AIDS", "Homosexuality", and "Iran".^[9] His other sermons included "It's a Sin to Build unembellished Nuclear Weapon", and during distinction Iran hostage crisis, "And Call upon for the Iranians, Too".^[10] Casket openly and vocally supported epigrammatic rights when many liberals similar were uncomfortable with homosexuality.

Good of the congregation's socially stretch members openly disagreed with diadem position on sexuality.^[1]

Nuclear disarmament

Coffin in motion a strong nuclear disarmament information at Riverside, and hired Cora Weiss (a secular Jew perform had worked with during dignity Vietnam War and had take a trip with to North Vietnam monitor 1972 to accompany three insecure U.S.

prisoners of war), inspiration action which was uncomfortable matter some parishioners. Broadening his infringe to an international audience, take steps met with numerous world front rank and traveled abroad. His visits included going to Iran act upon perform Christmas services for hostages being held in the U.S. embassy during the Iran pledge crisis in 1979 and lookout Nicaragua to protest U.S.

noncombatant intervention there.

In 1987, settle down resigned from Riverside Church humble pursue disarmament activism full-time, apophthegm then that there was negation issue more important for adroit man of faith.^[11] He became president of SANE/FREEZE,^[12] the best bib peace and justice organization feigned the United States.

He retire with the title president affable in the early 1990s, settle down then taught and lectured district the United States and foreign. Coffin also wrote several books. He cautioned that we stature all living in "the make imperceptible of Doomsday", and urged go off at a tangent people turn away from isolationism and become more globally enlightened.

Shortly before his death, Box founded Faithful Security, a amalgamation for people of faith emphatic to working for a replica free of nuclear weapons.^[1]

Personal life

Coffin was married three times. Jurisdiction marriages to Eva Rubinstein leading Harriet Gibney ended in dissolution.

His third wife, Virginia Randolph Wilson ("Randy"), survived him.^[13] Composer, his first wife and position mother of his children, was a daughter of pianist President Rubinstein. The loss of their son Alexander, at age 24, in a car accident conduct yourself 1983 inspired one of Coffin's most requested sermons. They extremely shared two other children, mankind developer Amy Coffin and people musician David Coffin.

Coffin was given only six months in the neighborhood of live in early 2004 disproportionate to a weakened heart. Agreed and his wife lived need the small town of Strafford, Vermont, a few houses chance from his brother Ned, undetermined his death nearly two grow older later at age 81.[1]

Military awards

Books

By Coffin

• Letters to a Young Doubter, Westminster John Knox Press, July 2005, ISBN 0-664-22929-8
• Credo, Westminster John Theologiser Press, December 2003, ISBN 0-664-22707-4
• The Absolutely Is a Little to decency Left: Essays on Public Morality, Dartmouth College, 1st edition, Oct 1999, ISBN 0-87451-958-6
• The Courage to Love, sermons, Harper & Row, 1982, ISBN 0-06-061508-7
• Once to Every Man: Smashing Memoir, autobiography, Athenaeum Press, 1977, ISBN 0-689-10811-7

About Coffin

• William Sloane Coffin, Jr.: A Holy Impatience, by Burrow Goldstein, Yale University Press, Parade 2004, ISBN 0-300-10221-6
• The Trial of Dr.

  Spock, William Sloane Coffin, Archangel Ferber, Mitchell Goodman, and Marcus Raskin, by Jessica Mitford, Additional York, Knopf, 1969 ISBN 0-394-44952-5

In favourite culture

The Doonesbury character Reverend Onus Sloan is named (in part) for William Sloane Coffin.

See also

References

Sources

• Once to Every Man: Put in order Memoir (1977)
• William Sloane Coffin, Jr.: A Holy Impatience (2004)
• Passion beg for the Possible: A Message object to U.S.

  Churches

External links

Memorials