Clarence Pickett

Last updated

Clarence Evan Pickett (1884-1965) was an American religious leader, notable 20th century Quaker, and head of a non-governmental, humanitarian relief agency. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Pickett was born on October 19, 1884, in Cissna Park, Illinois. He came from a family of Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) and grew up in Glen Elder, Kansas. [1] He studied at Penn College in Iowa, the Hartford Theological Seminary and at Harvard. [4]

Career

Pickett first worked as a pastor in the Quaker communities of Toronto and Oskaloosa, and later as a national secretary of the Young Friends of Five Years Meeting now (Friends United Meeting). He was also a professor in biblical literature at Earlham College.[ citation needed ]

From 1929 to 1950 he was executive secretary of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), which provided relief in Europe during the World Wars as well as in the United States during the Great Depression and beyond. Clarence began his service with the AFSC while still at Earlham College becoming the Home Service Field Secretary. [5] In 1947, while serving as Executive Secretary the organization accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo with the Friends Service Council (now Quaker Peace and Social Witness) on behalf of Quakers worldwide. [6] The board chair Professor Henry J. Cadbury represented the American Friends Service Committee and Margaret A. Backhouse represented the Friends service Council.[ citation needed ]

Clarence served as an advisor to Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman and it is said, Kennedy. Nonetheless, in his obituary it describes that his interaction with Kennedy came during a dinner in 1962 where he first picketed against nuclear weapons [2] outside the event and then went inside to join the dinner [7] honoring past American Nobel Prize winners. [8] Clarence also served on the Police Advisory Board of the Philadelphia Police Department and was its chairman from 1958 until his death. [2] He was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer on the occasion of his 80th birthday. [9]

Collaboration with Eleanor Roosevelt

Clarence and Lilly Pickett became close with Eleanor Roosevelt over many years and are mentioned often [10] in her newspaper column My Day. They first became acquainted in the time between election and inauguration (at that time in March) of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They were invited to discuss the Great Depression by the President elect and his wife and more specifically the Quaker child feeding program in coal mining areas that the AFSC had been running for about two and a half years in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in response to request by President Hebert Hoover [11] (funded in part by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation [12] ). That meeting started a longterm collaboration between Eleanor and the Picketts on work projects and a friendship that spanned many decades. Clarence was appointed the Chief of the Stranded Mining and Industrial Populations Section of the Department of the Interior by the President. [11] Eleanor took a great interest in that work, visiting the Arthurdale community and other areas in West Virginia many times.[ citation needed ]

Eleanor Roosevelt donated most of the proceeds of her newspaper column and radio addresses to the work of the AFSC. [13] "When I found that I could earn a certain amount of money on the radio, I realized that the American Friends Service Committee was doing work of the type which I was most interested in." said Eleanor Roosevelt in an April 1935 radio talk. [14] She discussed the work of Friends on the radio program at times in the 1940s, including about efforts to improve Soviet/American relations in 1949.[ citation needed ]

Eleanor Roosevelt once said that she would "always try to do the things Clarence asks because I have great trust in his judgment." [15] In 1960, Clarence asked Eleanor to serve as the host to the National Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy SANE meeting at Madison Square Garden. [16]

Hiss case

During the 1940s, Alger Hiss, whose wife Priscilla Hiss was a Quaker, had spoken during AFSC Quaker peace institutes.[ citation needed ] On August 3, 1948, appearing under subpoena before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), Whittaker Chambers, a Quaker, included Hiss among those whom he alleged had worked in his Ware Group spy network in Washington, D.C., during the latter 1930s. On August 27, 1948, Chambers repeated the allegation about Hiss during a Meet the Press radio broadcast.

A month later, Pickett traveled to Baltimore, where he met with Chambers at a local Quaker meetinghouse. When Pickett suggested that Chambers may have mistaken Hiss' identity, Chambers said no. Undeterred, Pickett suggested that Chambers and Hiss issue some kind of public statement to avoid lawsuits. (When testifying before HUAC, Hiss had threatened to sue Chambers.) Chambers was amenable but saw no path toward that end.[ citation needed ] On December 15, 1948, a grand jury indicted Hiss on two counts of perjury relating to Chambers' allegation. In 1949, during a second trial, Pickett testified for Hiss as having "the very highest quality ... of integrity and veracity." [17] In January 1950, Hiss was convicted on both counts of perjury and sentenced to prison.

Following publication of Chambers' memoir Witness in May 1952, Pickett wrote negatively about Chambers. Pickett stressed, despite "moments of real peace and enlightenment" experienced by Chambers as a Quaker, Chambers' sympathy for the views of Reinhold Niebuhr (in a cover story Chambers wrote for Time magazine in March 1948) shows his lack of understanding about Quakerism. [17]

Active retirement

After becoming the emeritus executive secretary of the AFSC, he remained very involved in civic life. He and Lilly were interviewed by Edward R. Murrow in his series Person to Person in 1955. [18] He dedicated much of his latter years to work around race relations and headed a committee that drafted the Fair Employment Practices Commission in Pennsylvania. [19] He became co-chairman of the Committee for Sane Nuclear Policy. In 1958 he participated in various events of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, but pursued their goals then not further. Pickett served on the National Advisory Council for the Peace Corps and was a director for the United States Committee for Refugees.[ citation needed ]

Personal life and death

On June 25, 1913, Pickett married Lilly Dale. [4]

Pickett died on March 17, 1965, in Boise, Idaho. [4]

Awards

Legacy

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordell Hull</span> American politician (1871–1955)

Cordell Hull was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during most of World War II. Before that appointment, Hull represented Tennessee for two years in the United States Senate and 22 years in the House of Representatives.

A Quaker Action Group (AQAG) was founded in Philadelphia during the summer of 1966 to "apply nonviolent direct action as a witness against the war in Vietnam".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Testimony of peace</span>

The testimony of peace is the action generally taken by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) for peace and against participation in war. Like other Quaker testimonies, it is not a "belief", but a description of committed actions, in this case to promote peace, and refrain from and actively oppose participation in war. Quakers' original refusal to bear arms has been broadened to embrace protests and demonstrations in opposition to government policies of war and confrontations with others who bear arms, whatever the reason, in the support of peace and active nonviolence. Due to this core testimony, the Religious Society of Friends is considered one of the traditional peace churches.

The Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) is a Quaker organisation that works to communicate between all parts of Quakerism. FWCC's world headquarters is in London. It has General Consultative NGO status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2002. FWCC shares responsibility for the Quaker UN Office in Geneva and New York City with the American Friends Service Committee and Britain Yearly Meeting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James T. Shotwell</span> Canadian-American historian (1874–1965)

James Thomson Shotwell was a Canadian-born American history professor. He played an instrumental role in the creation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1919, as well as for his influence in promoting inclusion of a declaration of human rights in the UN Charter.

Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW), previously known as the Friends Service Council, and then as Quaker Peace and Service, is one of the central committees of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends - the national organisation of Quakers in Britain. It works to promote British Quakers' testimonies of equality, justice, peace, simplicity and truth. It works alongside both small local and large international pressure groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Cadbury</span> American Quaker, biblical scholar, historian (1883–1974)

Henry Joel Cadbury was an American biblical scholar, Quaker historian, writer, and non-profit administrator.

The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) is a non-governmental organisation representing the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) at the United Nations in Geneva and New York City. Parent bodies of QUNO are the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC), American Friends Service Committee and Quaker Peace and Social Witness. FWCC holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the Quaker UN Offices in New York and Geneva operate on behalf of Friends worldwide through this status. The offices work closely on issues of Human Rights and refugees, peace and disarmament, human impacts of climate change, as well as peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norvelt, Pennsylvania</span> Census-designated place in Pennsylvania, United States

Norvelt is a census-designated place in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, founded in 1934 as Westmoreland Homesteads. In 1937 it was renamed to honor Eleanor Roosevelt. The community was part of the Calumet-Norvelt CDP for the 2000 census, but was split into the two separate communities of Calumet and Norvelt for the 2010 census. Calumet was a typical company town, locally referred to as a "patch" or "patch town", built by a single company to house coal miners as cheaply as possible. On the other hand, Norvelt was created during the Great Depression by the federal government of the United States as a model community, intended to increase the standard of living of laid-off coal miners. Award winning writer Jack Gantos was born in the village and wrote two books about it

Howard Haines Brinton (1884–1973) was an author, professor and director whose work influenced the Religious Society of Friends movement for much of the 20th century. His books ranged from Quaker journal anthologies to philosophical and historical dissertations on the faith, establishing him as a prominent commentator on the Society of Friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irwin Abrams</span>

Irwin Martin Abrams was a long-time professor of history at Antioch College, a pioneer in the field of peace research, and a global authority on the Nobel Peace Prize. His book, The Nobel Peace Prize and the Laureates, first published in 1988 and subsequently updated and revised, is regarded as the authoritative reference work on the subject. His other books included Words of Peace, which brought together selections from the acceptance speeches of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and five volumes of Nobel Lectures in Peace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Bird Fauset</span> American state legislator

Crystal Bird Fauset was a civil rights activist, social worker, race relations specialist, and the first female African American state legislator elected in the United States, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by American members of the Religious Society of Friends to assist civilian victims of World War I. It continued to engage in relief action in Europe and the Soviet Union after the Armistice of 1918. By the mid-1920s it focused on improving racial relations in the U.S., as well as exploring ways to prevent the outbreak of another conflict before and after World War II. As the Cold War developed, it moved to employ more professionals rather than Quaker volunteers, over time attempting to broaden its appeal and respond more forcefully to racial injustice, women's issues, and demands of sexual minorities for equal treatment. They also work for world peace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Coates Walker</span> American Quaker activist (1920—2004)

Charles Coates Walker was an American Quaker activist and trainer for nonviolent direct action in both the civil rights and peace movements. He worked throughout his life to bring segregation, racial injustice, nuclear and biological weapons, and war to public awareness. He used Gandhian methods of nonviolence, writing training materials and organizing marches, vigils, protest demonstrations, conferences and campaigns in different parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twelfth Street Meeting House</span> Quaker meeting house in the United States

Twelfth Street Meeting House was a Quaker meeting house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built on the west side of 12th Street, south of Market Street, 1812–1813, incorporating architectural elements from Philadelphia's Greater Meeting House (1755).

The Nobel Monument is an obelisk in honor of U.S. Nobel laureates, located just northwest of the American Museum of Natural History in Theodore Roosevelt Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. The names of U.S. laureates of the Nobel Prize are engraved on its western, southern, and eastern sides, and the name and image of Alfred Nobel on the north side. It is the only monument in a New York City park which bears the names of living people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Cox Brinton</span>

Anna Shipley Cox Brinton was an American classics scholar, college administrator, writer, and Quaker leader, active with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

The Non-Sectarian Committee for German Refugee Children (NSCGRC) was an organization for the attempted rescue of children in the aftermath of the Kristallnacht pogrom. There were many influential members of society that hoped they could bring awareness to the people and lobbying efforts to get Congress to allow for 20,000 refugee children to enter the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Biddle Rhoads</span> American educator

Esther Biddle Rhoads was an American educator and Quaker relief worker. She was a teacher at the Friends Girls School in Tokyo from 1917 to 1940, and returned to Japan after World War II to rebuild the school as its principal; she was also tutor of Prince Akihito from 1950 to 1960.

References

  1. 1 2 Miller, Lawrence McK. (1999). Witness for Humanity: A Biography of Clarence E. Pickett. Wallingford, Pa.: Pendle Hill Publications. pp. 2–5, 57, 348. ISBN   0875749348. OCLC   42290894.
  2. 1 2 3 "Clarence E. Pickett, 80, Dies; Led Quaker Croup 22 Years; Headed Service Committee in Worldwide Aid That Won 47 Nobel Peace Prize!". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  3. ↑ "Clarence Pickett Dies Quaker Cleric Given Nobel Award in 1947". The Philadelphia Inquirer, Page 24. 19 Mar 1965. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mrs. Clarence Pickett". The New York Times. 1973-09-24. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  5. ↑ Barnes, Gregory A. (2016). A Centennial History of the American Friends Service Committee. United States of America63: FriendsPress. p. 63. ISBN   978-1537526980.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ↑ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1947". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  7. ↑ "Dinner in honor of Nobel Prize Winners, 8:00PM | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  8. ↑ "Review | When an extraordinary collection of talent gathered at the White House". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  9. ↑ "18 Oct 1964, Page 34 -". The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  10. ↑ "Search "Pickett" My Day columns | Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project | The George Washington University". erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  11. 1 2 Schimizzi, Sandra Wolk; Wolk, Valeria Sofranko (2010-02-15). Norvelt: A New Deal Subsistence Homestead. Arcadia Publishing. pp. Chapter Two. ISBN   9781439638408.
  12. ↑ Maloney, C. J. (2011-02-23). Back to the Land: Arthurdale, FDR's New Deal, and the Costs of Economic Planning. John Wiley & Sons. p. 58. ISBN   9781118023570.
  13. ↑ "Eleanor Roosevelt: The First Lady of Radio | American RadioWorks |". www.americanradioworks.org. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  14. ↑ "SOLD Eleanor Roosevelt's Original Contract For Her 1935 Series of Radio Talks". The Raab Collection. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  15. ↑ "Pickett, Clarence, 1884-1965 - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  16. ↑ "History". Peace Action. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  17. 1 2 Ingle, H. Larry (2018). Lessons from Quaker History. Quaker History. doi:10.1353/qkh.2018.0000. S2CID   166120597 . Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  18. ↑ Person to Person, Episode #2.31 , retrieved 2019-07-31
  19. ↑ "Pennsylvania State Council for Fair Employment Practices Commission Records, 1948-1959 1712". libraries.psu.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  20. ↑ "Honorary Degrees | Whittier College". www.whittier.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  21. ↑ "Clarence E. Pickett Middle School to be named and publicly opened, 14 Jan 1969, Page 22 - The Philadelphia Inquirer". Newspapers.com. 14 Jan 1969. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  22. ↑ "Stephen G. Cary papers, 1930-2002". dla.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  23. ↑ Miller, Richmond P. (28 Jun 1953). "Clarence Pickett Recounts Career in Service of Many". The Philadelphia Inquirer, Page 79. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  24. ↑ Pickett, Clarence (1952). Friends and International Affairs. Guilford College, N.C.: Guilford College. OCLC   10669499.
  25. ↑ Johnson, Mordecai W; Lie, Trygve; Pickett, Clarence; Redfield, Robert; American Friends Service Committee, eds. (1950). Pattern for Peace: An NBC Radio Discussion. Chicago: University of Chicago. OCLC   785823300.
  26. ↑ Pickett, Clarence (1913). A comparison of the mysticism of Bernard of Clairvaux with that of the prophet Jeremiah (Thesis). OCLC   951031537.

External source

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.