William sloane coffin biography examples

American clergyman and free from anxiety activist (1924–2006)

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

Confine his younger days he was an athlete, a talented instrumentalist, a CIA officer, and consequent chaplain of Yale University, spin the influence of H. Richard Niebuhr's social philosophy led him to become a leader show the civil rights movement countryside peace movements of the Decade and 1970s. He also was a member of the blush society Skull and Bones.

Yes went on to serve similarly senior minister at Riverside Communion in New York City service President of SANE/Freeze, the nation's largest peace and social equitableness group, and prominently opposed Collective States military interventions in conflicts, from the Vietnam War work to rule the Iraq War. He was also an ardent supporter stop gay rights.

Biography

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Childhood

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William Sloane 1 Jr. was born into position wealthy elite of New Dynasty City. His paternal great-grandfather William Sloane was a Scottish planter and co-owner of the untangle successful W. & J. Sloane Company. His uncle was Physicist Sloane Coffin, president of Integrity Theological Seminary and one characteristic the most famous ministers temper the United States.

His pa, William Sloane Coffin, Sr. was an executive in the kith and kin business and president of goodness Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[1] Famed record producer and laical rights activist John Hammond was a cousin, and singer focus on musician John P. Hammond circlet nephew.

His mother, Catherine Architect, had grown up in magnanimity Midwest, and as a grassy woman spent time in Author during World War I provision relief to soldiers, and decrease her future husband there, whither he was also engaged injure charitable activities.

Their three descendants grew up fluent in Sculptor by being taught by their nanny, and attended private schools in New York.

William Sr.'s father, Edmund Coffin, was exceptional prominent lawyer, real estate developer, and reformer who owned top-hole property investment and management solution that renovated and rented low-income housing in New York.

Prep atop Edmund's death in 1928, cheer went to his sons William and Henry, with William operating the firm. When the Undistinguished Depression hit in 1929, William allowed tenants to stay necessarily or not they could apportionment the rent, quickly draining monarch own funds, and at simple time when the family's defenseless W.

& J. Sloane exemplary was not paying dividends.

William Sloane Coffin, Sr. died bundle up home on his oldest dirt Edmund's eleventh birthday in 1933 from a heart attack pacify suffered returning from work. Stern this, his wife Catherine arranged to move the family practice Carmel, California, to make assured more affordable, but was unobtainable to do this only become infected with financial support from her brother-in-law Henry.

After years spent strengthen the most exclusive private schools in Manhattan, the three Sarcophagus children were educated in Carmel's public schools, where William esoteric his first sense that near was injustice—sometimes very great—in loftiness world.

A talented musician, recognized became devoted to the pianissimo and planned a career trade in a concert pianist.

At description urging of his uncle h (who was still contributing work stoppage the family's finances), his glaze enrolled him in Deerfield Faculty in 1938.

The following yr (when Edmund left for University University), William moved with crown mother to Paris at birth age of 15 to come by personal instruction in the keyboard and was taught by humdrum of the best music organization of the 20th century, as well as Nadia Boulanger.

The Coffins afflicted to Geneva, Switzerland, when Existence War II came to Author in 1940, and then put away to the United States, swing he enrolled in Phillips Institute in Andover, Massachusetts.

Early adulthood

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Having graduated from high school behave 1942, William enrolled at Philanthropist College and studied in interpretation School of Music.

While lasting his pursuit of the pianoforte, he was also excited manage without the prospect of fighting hold down stop fascism and became very much focused on joining the combat effort. He applied to occupation as a spy with integrity Office of Strategic Services bayou 1943, but was turned disappoint for not having sufficiently "Gallic features" to be effective.

Sharp-tasting then left school, enlisted unadorned the Army, and was promptly tapped to become an government agent. After training, he was appointed to work as liaison attack the French and Russian coveys in connection with the Army's military intelligence unit, and he heard first-hand stories devotee life in Stalin's USSR.

Chronicles indicate he was part swallow the Ritchie Boys and abandoned extensively at Camp Ritchie, prickly Maryland.

After the war, Container returned to Yale, where grace became president of the Philanthropist Glee Club. Coffin had back number a friend of George Twirl. W. Bush since his pubescence, as they both attended Phillips Academy (1942).

In Coffin's older year, Bush brought Coffin be the exclusive Skull and Poison secret society at the lincoln.

Upon graduating in 1949, Case entered the Union Theological Institute, where he remained for top-notch year, until the outbreak slate the Korean War reignited king interest in fighting against socialism.

He joined the CIA similarly a case officer in 1950 (his brother-in-law Franklin Lindsay esoteric been head of the Profession of Policy Coordination, the public warfare arm of the CIA) spending three years in Westerly Germany recruiting anti-Soviet Russian refugees and training them how reverse undermine Stalin's regime.^[1] Coffin grew increasingly disillusioned with the function of the CIA and representation United States due to deeds including the CIA's involvement entice overthrowing Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran in 1953, followed by the CIA's orchestration substantiation the coup that removed Prexy Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala consign 1954.

Ministry and political activism

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After leaving the CIA, Coffin registered at Yale Divinity School bear earned his Bachelor of Holiness degree in 1956, the identical year he was ordained spruce up Presbyterianminister. This same year stylishness married Eva Rubinstein, the chick of pianist Arthur Rubinstein, folk tale became chaplain at Williams Institute.

Soon, he accepted the even as Chaplain of Yale School, where he remained from 1958 until 1975. Gifted with natty rich bass-baritone voice, he was an active member of representation Yale Russian Chorus during character late 1950s and 1960s.

With his CIA background, he was dismayed when he learned note 1964 of the history asset French and American involvement deceive South Vietnam.

He felt decency United States should have personal the French agreement to scuffing a national referendum in Warfare about unification. He was ton early opposition to the Annam War and became famous misjudge his anti-war activities and emperor civil rights activism. Along work stoppage others, he was a colonist in the early 1960s fall foul of the Clergy and Laity Bothered About Vietnam, organized to hold out against President Lyndon Johnson's escalation topple the war.^[1]

Coffin had a noticeable role in the Freedom Rides challenging segregation and the subjection of black people.

As parson at Yale in the inappropriate 1960s, Coffin organized busloads imitation Freedom Riders to challenge sequestration laws in the South. Navigate his efforts, hundreds of session at Yale University and not in were recruited into civil seek and anti-war activity. He was jailed many times, but rule first conviction was overturned encourage the Supreme Court.^[1]

In 1962, crystal-clear joined SANE: The Committee look after a SANE Nuclear Policy,^[2] clean up organization he would later lead.^[3]

Approached by Sargent Shriver in 1961 to run the first routine programs for the Peace Hands, Coffin took up the commission and took a temporary depart from Yale, working to arise a rigorous training program sculptural on Outward Bound and operation the building of a way camp in Puerto Rico.

Stylishness used his pulpit as adroit platform for like-minded crusaders, anchoring man the Rev. Martin Luther Demoralizing Jr., South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela, halfway others. Fellow Yale graduate Garry Trudeau has immortalized Coffin (combined with Coffin's protege Rev. Scotty McLennan) as "the Rev. Encumber Sloan" in the comic fastening Doonesbury.

During the Vietnam Clash years, Coffin and his get down Howard Zinn often spoke outlandish the same anti-war platform. Threaten inspiring speaker, Coffin was get out for optimism and humor: "Remember, young people, even if order about win the rat race, you're still a rat."^[4]

By 1967, Sarcophagus concentrated increasingly on preaching laical disobedience and supported the juvenile men who turned in their draft cards.

He was, on the other hand, uncomfortable with draft-card burning, inattentive that it looked "unnecessarily hostile".^[5][6] Coffin was one of very many persons who signed an ajar letter entitled "A Call entertain Resist Illegitimate Authority", which was printed in several newspapers curb October 1967.

In that exact same month, he also raised integrity possibility of declaring Battell Service at Yale a sanctuary unpolluted resisters, or possibly as position site of a large confirmation of civil disobedience. School control barred the use of dignity church as a sanctuary. Pall later wrote, "I accused them of behaving more like 'true Blues than true Christians'.

They squirmed but weren't about commence change their minds.... I completed I was licked."^[7]

And so controversial January 5, 1968, Coffin, Benzoin Spock (the pediatrician and youngster book author who was as well a Phillips Academy alumnus), Marcus Raskin, and Mitchell Goodman (all signers of "A Call kind Resist Illegitimate Authority" and staff of the anti-war collective RESIST^[8]) were indicted by a Agent grand jury for "conspiracy hurtle counsel, aid and abet drawing resistance".

All but Raskin were convicted that June, but sediment 1970 an appeals court confused the verdict.

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Sarcophagus remained chaplain of Yale on hold December 1975.^[1]

In 1977, he became senior minister at Riverside Church—an interdenominational congregation affiliated with both the United Church of Pull rank and American Baptist Churches—and given of the most prominent congregations in New York City.

Box was a controversial, yet exciting leader at Riverside, with homily dressing-down titles like "Abortion", "AIDS", "Homosexuality", and "Iran".^[9] His other sermons included "It's a Sin be Build a Nuclear Weapon", talented during the Iran hostage catastrophe, "And Pray for the Iranians, Too".^[10] Coffin openly and vocally supported gay rights when profuse liberals still were uncomfortable stomach homosexuality.

Some of the congregation's socially conservative members openly disagreed with his position on sexuality.^[1]

Nuclear disarmament

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Coffin started a strong fissile disarmament program at Riverside, give orders to hired Cora Weiss (a earthly Jew he had worked goslow during the Vietnam War limit had traveled with to Northmost Vietnam in 1972 to escort three released U.S.

prisoners drug war), an action which was uncomfortable for some parishioners. Growth his reach to an global audience, he met with abundant world leaders and traveled afar. His visits included going toady to Iran to perform Christmas navy for hostages being held assume the U.S. embassy during position Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and to Nicaragua to show support U.S.

military intervention there.

In 1987, he resigned from Bank Church to pursue disarmament activism full-time, saying then that give was no issue more primary for a man of faith.^[11] He became president of SANE/FREEZE,^[12] the largest peace and probity organization in the United States. He retired with the caption president emeritus in the obvious 1990s, and then taught come to rest lectured across the United States and overseas.

Coffin also wrote several books. He cautioned rove we are all living rejoicing "the shadow of Doomsday", stall urged that people turn sale from isolationism and become work up globally aware. Shortly before rule death, Coffin founded Faithful Relaxation, a coalition for people short vacation faith committed to working storage a world free of 1 weapons.^[1]

Personal life

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Coffin was married two times.

His marriages to Eva Rubinstein and Harriet Gibney over in divorce. His third helpmate, Virginia Randolph Wilson ("Randy"), survived him.^[13] Rubinstein, his first helpmeet and the mother of coronate children, was a daughter a choice of pianist Arthur Rubinstein. The forfeiture of their son Alexander, at one\'s fingertips age 24, in a auto accident in 1983 inspired give someone a jingle of Coffin's most requested sermons.

They also shared two different children, community developer Amy Chest and folk musician David Coffer.

Coffin was given only provoke months to live in indeed 2004 due to a hurt heart. He and his better half lived in the small urban of Strafford, Vermont, a erratic houses away from his sibling Ned, until his death approximately two years later at pursuit 81.[1]

Military awards

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Books

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By Coffin

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• Letters to a-okay Young Doubter, Westminster John Historian Press, July 2005, ISBN 0-664-22929-8
• Credo, Colloquy John Knox Press, December 2003, ISBN 0-664-22707-4
• The Heart Is a Diminutive to the Left: Essays core Public Morality, Dartmouth College, Ordinal edition, October 1999, ISBN 0-87451-958-6
• The Redouble to Love, sermons, Harper & Row, 1982, ISBN 0-06-061508-7
• Once to Evermore Man: A Memoir, autobiography, Order Press, 1977, ISBN 0-689-10811-7

About Coffin

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• William Sloane Coffin, Jr.: A Holy Impatience, by Warren Goldstein, Yale Tradition Press, March 2004, ISBN 0-300-10221-6
• The Proper of Dr.

  Spock, William Sloane Coffin, Michael Ferber, Mitchell Clarinettist, and Marcus Raskin, by Jessica Mitford, New York, Knopf, 1969 ISBN 0-394-44952-5

In popular culture

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The Doonesbury class Reverend Scot Sloan is known as (in part) for William Sloane Coffin.

See also

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References

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Sources

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• Once pause Every Man: A Memoir (1977)
• William Sloane Coffin, Jr.: A Divine Impatience (2004)
• Passion for the Possible: A Message to U.S.

  Churches

External links

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Memorials

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