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Quick facts for kids Corliss Lamont
Lamont in 1934
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 University, Columbia University
Occupation	Professor, philanthropist, political activist
Years active	1928-1995
Known for	Support for socialism, Popular Front, and 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

Corliss Lamont (born March 28, 1902 – died April 26, 1995) was an American thinker and activist. He believed in socialism and humanism. He spent his life fighting for civil liberties and left-wing ideas. From the early 1940s, he led the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship.

Corliss Lamont's Life and Work
Personal Life and Death
His Legacy
Writings
See also

Corliss Lamont's Life and Work

His Early Life and Education

Corliss Lamont was born in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1902. His father, Thomas W. Lamont, was a big boss at J.P. Morgan & Co.. Corliss was a very smart student. He finished Phillips Exeter Academy as the top student in 1920. Then he graduated from Harvard University with high honors in 1924.

Even at Harvard, he showed his strong beliefs. He spoke out against university clubs, calling them snobby. After Harvard, he studied at New College, Oxford in England. He then went to Columbia University for his graduate studies. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1932. Lamont later taught philosophy at several famous universities. These included Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard.

Becoming an Activist in the 1930s

The Great Depression in the 1930s made Lamont a radical thinker. This meant he wanted big changes in society. He visited the Soviet Union and wrote a book about it. He was impressed by what he saw there. He wrote that people seemed "confident, happy and full of spirit."

Over time, he became critical of the Soviet Union. He didn't like how they treated people who disagreed with the government. But he still admired their progress from an old-fashioned society. For most of his life, Lamont believed in Marxism and socialism.

In 1932, Lamont joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He was a director there for 30 years. In 1934, he was even arrested while protesting in Jersey City. This was part of a fight for workers' rights. Lamont said he learned more about the law that day than in a year of law school.

The 1940s: Focus on American-Soviet Relations

Lamont helped start the National Council of American-Soviet Friendship (NCASF). He was its first chairman from 1943 to 1947. He believed it was important for America and the Soviet Union to be friends.

After World War II, many people worried about the Soviet Union. But Lamont still felt they were not as aggressive as some claimed. He wrote a pamphlet called The Myth of Soviet Aggression. In it, he said that U.S. leaders were exaggerating the Soviet threat. He believed they did this to get support for military spending.

The 1950s: Fighting for Civil Liberties

In 1952, Lamont ran for the U.S. Senate in New York. He ran with the American Labor Party. He didn't win, but he got many votes.

In 1953, Senator Joseph McCarthy called Lamont to testify. McCarthy was investigating people he thought were Communists. Lamont said he was never a Communist. But he refused to talk about his own beliefs or others'. He used the First Amendment (freedom of speech) to refuse. The Senate committee then accused him of ignoring their authority.

Lamont fought back. He gave money to create a fund to support civil rights. He also challenged the committee in court. In 1955, a judge said the charges against Lamont were wrong. The government decided not to continue the case.

Even though he supported Marxist ideas, Lamont never joined the Communist Party USA. He even wrote a book called Why I Am Not a Communist.

Lamont also had trouble getting a passport in the 1950s. The government asked if he was a Communist, and he refused to answer. He sued the State Department and finally got his passport in 1958. He then went on a world tour.

In 1958, he ran for the U.S. Senate again, but lost. In 1959, he became a strong supporter of Fidel Castro and his government in Cuba.

The 1960s: Supreme Court Victory

In 1964, Lamont sued the Postmaster General. The Post Office was reading his mail and sometimes stopping "communist political propaganda" from outside the U.S. unless he asked for it. Lamont argued this was against his rights.

In 1965, the Supreme Court agreed with Lamont. They said the law was unconstitutional. This was a big win for freedom of speech. It was the first time the Supreme Court said a law violated the First Amendment.

In the mid-1960s, Lamont became the leader of the National Emergency Civil Liberties Committee. He held this job until he passed away.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1971, a politician called Lamont a "member of the Communist Party." Lamont quickly said that while it was okay to be a Communist, he had never joined the party.

In 1979, Lamont started the Half-Moon Foundation. This group worked for world peace, supported the United Nations, and protected the environment. It also aimed to keep and expand civil liberties in the U.S.

Lamont was a respected leader in the American Humanist Association. He was named "Humanist of the Year" in 1977. In 1981, he received the Gandhi Peace Award. After his death, he received another award for his humanist service. He was also one of the people who signed the Humanist Manifesto.

Personal Life and Death

Corliss Lamont was married three times. His first marriage was to Margaret Hayes Irish in 1928. They divorced in the early 1960s. In 1962, he married Helen Boyden Lamb, who passed away in 1975. In 1986, he married Beth Keehner, who was with him until his death. Corliss Lamont died at his home in Ossining (village), New York, on April 26, 1995.

His Legacy

After his parents died, Corliss Lamont became a philanthropist. This means he gave a lot of money to good causes. He helped collect and save important writings by American thinkers.

He also gave a lot of money to Harvard and Columbia. He even created a special teaching position at Columbia called the "Corliss Lamont Professor of Civil Liberties."

Corliss Lamont was the great-uncle of Ned Lamont. Ned Lamont is now the governor of Connecticut.

Writings

Corliss Lamont wrote many books and pamphlets. He also wrote thousands of letters to newspapers and magazines. He wrote about important social issues throughout his life.

His book The Illusion of Immortality (1935) explored ideas about life after death. He argued that people can live happy lives without believing in it. He felt that knowing life is precious makes it even more special.

His most famous book is The Philosophy of Humanism. It was first published in 1949 and has been updated many times. He also wrote about other important people like John Dewey and George Santayana.

Books by Corliss Lamont

A Humanist Funeral Service (a guide for humanist funerals)
A Humanist Wedding Service (a guide for humanist weddings)
A Lifetime of Dissent (about his life of disagreeing with unfair things)
Freedom Is As Freedom Does: Civil Liberties in America (about civil liberties in America)
Freedom of Choice Affirmed (about the idea of free will)
Lover's Credo: Poems of Love (a collection of his love poems)
Remembering John Masefield (about his memories of the poet John Masefield)
Russia Day by Day: A Travel Diary (a travel diary about Russia, co-written with Margaret Lamont)
Soviet Civilization (about Soviet society)
Illusion of Immortality (about life after death)
The Independent Mind: Essays of a Humanist Philosopher (a collection of his essays)
The Peoples of the Soviet Union (about the different groups of people in the Soviet Union)
The Philosophy of Humanism (his most famous work on humanism)
Voice in the Wilderness: Collected Essays of Fifty Years (a collection of his essays over 50 years)
Yes to Life: Memoirs of Corliss Lamont (his autobiography)
You Might Like Socialism: A Way of Life for Modern Man (about socialism as a way of life)

Books Edited by Corliss Lamont

Albert Rhys Williams, September 28, 1883 - February 27, 1962: In Memoriam (a tribute to Albert Rhys Williams)
Collected Poems of John Reed (a collection of poems by John Reed)
"Dear Corliss": Letters from Eminent Persons (a collection of letters he received from famous people)
Dialogue on George Santayana (discussions about the philosopher George Santayana)
Dialogue on John Dewey (discussions about the philosopher John Dewey)
Helen Lamb Lamont: A Memorial Tribute (a tribute to his second wife, Helen Lamb Lamont)
Letters of John Masefield to Florence Lamont (letters from John Masefield to Corliss's mother)
Man Answers Death: An Anthology of Poetry (a collection of poems about death)
Studies on India and Vietnam (studies by Helen B. Lamb, edited by Corliss Lamont)
The Thomas Lamonts in America (about his family history)
The Trial of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn by the American Civil Liberties Union (about a trial involving Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and the ACLU)

Basic Pamphlets Series

Corliss Lamont also wrote many shorter works called "pamphlets." He published a series called Basic Pamphlets. Here are some of the topics he covered:

Are We Being Talked Into War?
The Civil Liberties Crisis
The Humanist Tradition
Effects of American Foreign Policy
Back to the Bill of Rights
The Myth of Soviet Aggression
Challenge to McCarthy
The Congressional Inquisition
The Assault on Academic Freedom
The Right to Travel
To End Nuclear Bomb Tests
A Peace Program for the U.S.A.
My Trip Around The World
The Crime Against Cuba
My First Sixty Years
The Enduring Impact of George Santayana
The Tragedy of Vietnam: Where Do We Go from Here?
Vietnam: Corliss Lamont vs. Ambassador Lodge
How To Be Happy — Though Married
The Meaning of Vietnam and Cambodia
Trip to Communist China — An Informal Report
Adventures In Civil Liberties
Immortality: Myth Or Reality?
Resolute Radical At 83 (later Steadfast Activist at 84)
The Right to Know: The Civil Liberties Campaign Against Secrecy in Government
Jesus As A Free Speech Victim: Trial by Terror 2000 Years Ago
The Assurance Of Free Choice
Panama—Operation Injustice
Persian Gulf Crisis—UN Peace Negotiations; No To War!

Other Pamphlets

On Understanding Soviet Russia
Socialist Planning in Soviet Russia
Soviet Russia and Religion
Soviet Russia versus Nazi Germany: A study in contrasts
Soviet Russia and the Post-War World
Soviet Aggression: Myth or Reality?
Why I am not a Communist

Sound Recordings

Author Corliss Lamont Sings For His Family & Friends, a Medley of Favorite Hit Songs from American Musicals (1977)

Video

"Corliss Lamont and Pete Seeger" (1992) by Jonathan Heap (Lamont's grandchild)