Jeffrey Fuller facts for kids

Jeffrey Fuller (1917–1970) was an American who worked for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for many years. He helped the ACLU grow by finding new members and raising money. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Jeffrey Fuller's Life and Work

Early Life and Education

Jeffrey Eastman Fuller was born on March 19, 1917. His parents were Walter Fuller and Crystal Eastman. His mother, Crystal Eastman, was one of the people who helped start the ACLU. Sadly, both of his parents passed away when he was only 10 years old.

Jeffrey went to Harvard University and graduated in 1938. He studied Slavic Languages, History, and Literature. Later, from 1940 to 1941, he also studied radio and television production at New York University.

Before joining the army, Jeffrey had a few different jobs. He sold collector-item music records. He also worked as a guide at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. For a short time, he was an assistant radio editor at the New York Post.

Serving in the Army

In January 1941, Jeffrey Fuller joined the U.S. Army. He served in different parts of the army, including an MP Battalion. In October 1942, he became a 2nd Lieutenant.

He worked as an Aide de Camp for Major General D. H. Connolly. General Connolly was the commanding general at the Persian Gulf Command. Jeffrey traveled a lot with the general and helped by translating Russian and French for him. He did this job until May 1943.

After that, Fuller became a Russian Liaison Officer in Qazvin, Iran. This meant he worked closely with the Russian command every day. He returned to the United States in October 1944 for more training. He learned about military government and the Japanese language, history, and culture.

However, his skills in Russian were still very important. From May 1945 to March 1946, he worked for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services). He was part of the U.S.S.R. Division in Washington, Berlin, and Central Europe. Jeffrey left the Army in June 1946 with the rank of Major. He continued to serve as a Major in the reserve, focusing on psychological warfare.

Starting a Business

After his army service, Jeffrey Fuller started a company with Michael Bodkin in July 1946. It was called Bodkin Research & Manufacturing Co., Inc. He was the vice-president of this company. They made organic plant food, but the business did not succeed and closed in February 1948.

Working for the ACLU

In 1948, Jeffrey Fuller joined the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU is an organization that works to protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.

Jeffrey became the Membership Director. This meant he was in charge of raising money and getting new members for the ACLU. He mostly did this through mail, preparing letters and other materials. He also managed the organization's finances as the general financial secretary.

During his time, he created a system to share donations between the national ACLU and its local groups. He also helped start new local groups. He even oversaw a committee focused on Indian Civil Rights. When he started, the ACLU had about 9,000 members and 7 local groups. By the time he left, it had grown to 48,000 members and 27 local groups!

In 1959, Fuller left the ACLU to work for a direct mail company. However, he continued to be the editor of Civil Liberties. This was the ACLU's monthly publication, which he had edited since 1951. Civil Liberties was a short publication that shared news about the ACLU's work and important civil liberties issues. He continued as editor until 1966.

Later Years

Jeffrey Fuller passed away on February 24, 1970.