Albert Bigelow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Albert Bigelow
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1906 |
| Died | October 6, 1993 (aged 87) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Spouse(s) |
Josephine Rotch
(m. 1929; Sylvia Weld
(m. 1931–1993) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Albert Francis Bigelow Gladys Williams |
Albert Smith Bigelow (born May 1, 1906 – died October 6, 1993) was an American pacifist. This means he believed in solving problems without violence. He was also a former Commander in the United States Navy. Bigelow became well-known in the 1950s. He was the captain of the ship Golden Rule. This ship was the first to try and stop a nuclear test. He did this to protest against nuclear weapons.
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Early Life and Education
Albert Smith Bigelow was born in 1906. His parents were Albert Francis Bigelow and Gladys Williams.
Albert Bigelow went to two famous universities. He graduated from Harvard University in 1929. He also got a degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While at Harvard, he was part of several clubs. He was also a member of the Harvard hockey team.
Before he became a peace activist, Bigelow served in the United States Navy. He was in the Navy during World War II. First, he commanded a submarine chaser near the Solomon Islands. Later, he was the captain of a destroyer escort ship, the USS Dale W. Peterson.
On August 6, 1945, Bigelow was on his ship. They were sailing into Pearl Harbor. He heard the news that an atomic bomb had exploded over Hiroshima, Japan. This event deeply affected him. He resigned from the US Naval Reserve soon after.
In 1948, Bigelow's wife, Sylvia, joined the Religious Society of Friends. This group is also known as Quakers. Bigelow joined them in 1955. Through the Quakers, Albert and Sylvia welcomed two young Japanese women into their home. These women were known as the Hiroshima Maidens. They had been badly hurt by the atomic bomb. They came to the United States for plastic surgery in 1955. Bigelow was very moved by this experience. He realized the young women "harbored no resentment against us or other Americans."
Bigelow then joined the American Friends Service Committee. In the mid-1950s, he tried to deliver a petition to the White House. This petition had 17,411 signatures. It was against nuclear tests in the atmosphere. He tried many times to meet with a White House official, but he could not. This made Bigelow feel that he needed to take stronger action.
On August 6, 1957, Bigelow and twelve others were arrested. This was the 12th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. They tried to enter a nuclear test site in Nevada. This was a nonviolent protest against the testing. The next day, they returned. They sat with their backs to the site as a nuclear test happened.
Sailing the Golden Rule
In February 1958, Bigelow began a special journey. He sailed his 30-foot (9 m) ketch boat, the Golden Rule. His goal was to reach the Eniwetok Proving Ground. This was where the Atomic Energy Commission tested nuclear bombs. It was in the Marshall Islands. His crew included James Peck, George Willoughby, William R. Huntington, and Orion Sherwood.
Bigelow made sure his voyage was widely known. Because of this, the Atomic Energy Commission quickly made a new rule. It banned US citizens from sailing into the Proving Grounds.
When the Golden Rule arrived in Hawaii, the crew received a court order. It stopped them from sailing to the test site. Bigelow decided to break this order on May 1. But the US Coast Guard stopped the Golden Rule only 5 nautical miles (9 km) from Honolulu. They tried again on June 4. This time, the crew was arrested. They were charged with ignoring the court order. They were sentenced to sixty days in jail.
While the Golden Rule was in Honolulu, Bigelow met Earle and Barbara Reynolds. Earle L. Reynolds was an anthropologist. He had studied the effects of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Hearing Bigelow's story, the Reynolds family was inspired. Later that year, their own yacht, the Phoenix of Hiroshima, sailed into a nuclear test zone. This was the first time a private boat had done this in protest. Earle was arrested and spent six months in jail.
In 1959, Bigelow wrote a book called Voyage of the Golden Rule. It told the story of his journey. Bigelow's actions later inspired Marie Bohlen. She suggested a similar protest idea to a group in Vancouver in 1970. This group later became Greenpeace.
Bigelow continued to take part in non-violent protests. In 1961, he was part of the Freedom Rides. These were organized by the Congress on Racial Equality. They protested against segregation.
Later in his life, from 1971 to 1975, he was a trustee at The Meeting School. This was a Quaker school in Rindge, New Hampshire.
Personal Life
Albert Bigelow married Josephine Rotch on June 21, 1929. She died a few months later, on December 10, 1929.
Two years later, Albert married Sylvia Weld on September 10, 1931. Sylvia was the granddaughter of Gen. William Barclay Parsons. He was the chief engineer of New York's first subway. Albert and Sylvia had three daughters: Lisa, Kate, and Mary. Mary, their youngest, died when she was seven months old.
Albert Bigelow passed away in 1993. He was 87 years old. He died at a nursing home in Walpole, Massachusetts.
See also
- List of peace activists
