Fulton Lewis III
Encyclopedia
Fulton Lewis, III is an American journalist, the only son of the late network American
news commentator Fulton Lewis
, Jr. and Alice Huston Lewis.
and the University of Virginia
, graduating from the latter in 1957. His first job was News Director of a small station in Jamestown, New York
but soon afterwards (1959) he was hired by the House Un-American Activities Committee
of the U.S. Congress as its Research Director. The following year, he produced and narrated the Committee's documentary film of the May 1960 riots in San Francisco protesting the Committee's hearings there. The script was written by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
and showed evidence of involvement by members of the Communist Party USA
in the incitement and leadership of the riots. In 1961, Lewis resigned from the Committee to embark on a nationwide lecture/debate tour in defense of the validity of the film. He appeared on over 750 college and university campuses.
In 1963, Lewis was named National Field Director of Young Americans for Freedom
, a conservative youth group inspired by publisher William F. Buckley, Jr.
He continued his lecturing and debating as a means of organizing YAF chapters on campuses and to recruit support for the presidential candidacy of Sen. Barry Goldwater
(R-AZ). Lewis was later hired as a speechwriter for Goldwater and his running mate Rep. William E. Miller
(R-NY) in their unsuccessful campaign of 1964. Following the election, he continued his lecture tour appearing on hundreds of campuses and at civic, business and political meetings.
After the death of his father on 20 August 1966, Lewis was asked by the Mutual Broadcasting System to continue the elder Lewis' nightly 15-minute broadcasts, which he did until 1979. His commentaries were heard on over 500 of the network's affiliates by an estimated 16 million people.
in Israel
, the war in Vietnam
(six trips), the conflict in Northern Ireland
, and the Biafra
n war for independence from Nigeria
.
to cover that country's efforts to survive a United Nations
economic boycott
. Lewis' interviews with Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith
in the late 1960s are widely credited with bringing that issue to public attention in the U.S. Lewis argued that the boycott was instigated because Rhodesia had not perfected a "one-man, one-vote" system of government. However, as a result of the boycott the U.S. could no longer purchase metallurgical-grade chromium
ore (a mineral needed for national defense) from Rhodesia, and was forced to import it from the Soviet Union—which, Lewis pointed out, had perfected a "no-man, no vote" system. Lewis was the author of legislation
introduced by Sen. Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
(D-VA)in 1971 which provided that, in the event the U.S. was importing any strategically essential material from a communist source, there would be no prohibition against the importation of that same material from a non-communist source. After heated debate in the House and Senate, the measure - Section 503 of the Military Procurement Authorization Act of 1971 - was approved and, on 7 November 1971, signed into law by President Richard Nixon
.
services company. He has continued to lecture throughout the nation, has served as a consultant to numerous political candidates, and is a frequent contributor of articles to conservative journals.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
news commentator Fulton Lewis
Fulton Lewis
Fulton Lewis, Jr. was a prominent conservative American radio broadcaster from the 1930s to the 1960s.-Early life and career:...
, Jr. and Alice Huston Lewis.
Education and early career
Fulton Lewis III attended Landon School in Bethesda, MarylandBethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, graduating from the latter in 1957. His first job was News Director of a small station in Jamestown, New York
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
but soon afterwards (1959) he was hired by the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
of the U.S. Congress as its Research Director. The following year, he produced and narrated the Committee's documentary film of the May 1960 riots in San Francisco protesting the Committee's hearings there. The script was written by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
and showed evidence of involvement by members of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
in the incitement and leadership of the riots. In 1961, Lewis resigned from the Committee to embark on a nationwide lecture/debate tour in defense of the validity of the film. He appeared on over 750 college and university campuses.
In 1963, Lewis was named National Field Director of Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...
, a conservative youth group inspired by publisher William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
He continued his lecturing and debating as a means of organizing YAF chapters on campuses and to recruit support for the presidential candidacy of Sen. Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
(R-AZ). Lewis was later hired as a speechwriter for Goldwater and his running mate Rep. William E. Miller
William E. Miller
William Edward "Bill" Miller was a New York politician. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 1964 election...
(R-NY) in their unsuccessful campaign of 1964. Following the election, he continued his lecture tour appearing on hundreds of campuses and at civic, business and political meetings.
After the death of his father on 20 August 1966, Lewis was asked by the Mutual Broadcasting System to continue the elder Lewis' nightly 15-minute broadcasts, which he did until 1979. His commentaries were heard on over 500 of the network's affiliates by an estimated 16 million people.
War correspondent
Lewis frequently traveled abroad as a war correspondent. Among other conflicts, he covered the 1967 Six-Day WarSix-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
(six trips), the conflict in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and the Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
n war for independence from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Rhodesian boycott
Lewis also travelled to RhodesiaRhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
to cover that country's efforts to survive a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
economic boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
. Lewis' interviews with Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith GCLM ID was a politician active in the government of Southern Rhodesia, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia and Zimbabwe from 1948 to 1987, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 13 April 1964 to 1 June 1979...
in the late 1960s are widely credited with bringing that issue to public attention in the U.S. Lewis argued that the boycott was instigated because Rhodesia had not perfected a "one-man, one-vote" system of government. However, as a result of the boycott the U.S. could no longer purchase metallurgical-grade chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
ore (a mineral needed for national defense) from Rhodesia, and was forced to import it from the Soviet Union—which, Lewis pointed out, had perfected a "no-man, no vote" system. Lewis was the author of legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
introduced by Sen. Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
Harry Flood Byrd, Jr. is a retired American politician. He represented Virginia in the United States Senate from 1965 to 1983. He is most notable for leaving the Democratic Party in 1970 and becoming an Independent, although he continued to caucus with the Democrats. He is the son of Harry F....
(D-VA)in 1971 which provided that, in the event the U.S. was importing any strategically essential material from a communist source, there would be no prohibition against the importation of that same material from a non-communist source. After heated debate in the House and Senate, the measure - Section 503 of the Military Procurement Authorization Act of 1971 - was approved and, on 7 November 1971, signed into law by President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Later career
In 1980, Lewis retired from journalism and moved to Florida, where he owns and operates a computer databaseDatabase
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
services company. He has continued to lecture throughout the nation, has served as a consultant to numerous political candidates, and is a frequent contributor of articles to conservative journals.
Awards and recognition
In July 2007, Lewis was a featured speaker at the national conventions of the College Republican National Federation and the TeenAge Republicans. In February, 2008, Lewis was named "Broadcasting Pioneer of the Year 2008" by the Broadcasters Club and the Florida Association of Broadcasters.External links
- Fulton Lewis III website
- Fulton Lewis III Papers at Syracuse University