George Willoughby
Encyclopedia
George Willoughby was a Quaker activist who advocated for world peace, and conducted nonviolent protests against war and preparations for war.
He met his wife, Lillian Willoughby
, in Iowa in the 1930s.
He was a conscientious objector during World War II and helped find homes for Japanese-Americans who had been put in camps at the outbreak of the war.
He was involved with the Committee for Non-Violent Action
(CNVA), formed in 1957 to resist the US Government's program of nuclear weapons testing, one of the first organizations to employ direct nonviolent action to protest against the nuclear arms race
.
He was a crew member of the Golden Rule, a small boat that in 1958 sailed into the South Pacific to protest atomic testing there by the United States. With the other crew members, William R. Huntington
, James Peck
, Orion Sherwood, and skipper Albert Bigelow
he was arrested 5 nautical miles (9 km) from Honolulu and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Their act of non-violent protest against the testing of nuclear arms and the nuclear arms race attracted worldwide media coverage and inspired similar actions by members of the Vancouver-based Don't Make a Wave Committee
(which later became Greenpeace
).
From 1971 to 1987, Willoughby and his wife ran a commune in West Philadelphia devoted to helping the community. The site included 20 houses that made up the Movement for a New Society
.
The Willoughbys lived in a small third-floor apartment where they practiced living simply. When a Philadelphia Daily News
reporter encountered them there in June 1980, they were baking their own bread.
In 1981 he helped to start Peace Brigades International
.
Taking on the simple life was also a way to keep any income away from the federal government. Even so, the IRS confiscated their red Volkswagen for back taxes. During the auction at the IRS headquarters in Chester in 1970, the Willoughbys and supporters served lemonade in the hallway before submitting the winning bid of $900 to buy the car back.
Willoughby died on January 5, 2010. He is survived by three daughters, Sally Willowbee, Anita and Sharon Willoughby; a son, Alan Willoughby, and three grandchildren.
Biography
Willoughby lived on the Old Pine Farm Land Trust in Deptford, Gloucester County, part of the New Jersey Green Acres program. He was raised in the Panama Canal zone.He met his wife, Lillian Willoughby
Lillian Willoughby
Lillian Willoughby was a Quaker activist who advocated for world peace, founded Take Back the Night, and conducted nonviolent protests against war and preparations for war for nearly 70 years.-Biography:...
, in Iowa in the 1930s.
He was a conscientious objector during World War II and helped find homes for Japanese-Americans who had been put in camps at the outbreak of the war.
He was involved with the Committee for Non-Violent Action
Committee for Non-Violent Action
The Committee for Non-Violent Action , formed in 1957 to resist the US government's program of nuclear weapons testing, was one of the first organizations to employ nonviolent direct action to protest against the nuclear arms race....
(CNVA), formed in 1957 to resist the US Government's program of nuclear weapons testing, one of the first organizations to employ direct nonviolent action to protest against the nuclear arms race
Nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War...
.
He was a crew member of the Golden Rule, a small boat that in 1958 sailed into the South Pacific to protest atomic testing there by the United States. With the other crew members, William R. Huntington
William R. Huntington
William Reed Huntington was an American architect and Quaker representative to the United Nations and director of the Quaker program there...
, James Peck
James Peck (pacifist)
James Peck was an American activist who practiced nonviolent resistance during World War II and in the Civil Rights movement...
, Orion Sherwood, and skipper Albert Bigelow
Albert Bigelow
Albert S. Bigelow was a pacifist and former United States Navy Commander, who came to prominence in the 1950s as the skipper of the Golden Rule, the first vessel to attempt disruption of a nuclear test in protest against nuclear weapons.-Peace Movement:Prior to his involvement in the peace...
he was arrested 5 nautical miles (9 km) from Honolulu and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Their act of non-violent protest against the testing of nuclear arms and the nuclear arms race attracted worldwide media coverage and inspired similar actions by members of the Vancouver-based Don't Make a Wave Committee
Don't Make a Wave Committee
The Don't Make a Wave Committee was the name of the anti-nuclear organization which later evolved into Greenpeace, a global environmental organization...
(which later became Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
).
From 1971 to 1987, Willoughby and his wife ran a commune in West Philadelphia devoted to helping the community. The site included 20 houses that made up the Movement for a New Society
Movement for a New Society
The Movement for a New Society was a U.S.-based network of social activists, committed to the principles of nonviolence, who played a key role in social movements of the 1970s and 80s....
.
The Willoughbys lived in a small third-floor apartment where they practiced living simply. When a Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
reporter encountered them there in June 1980, they were baking their own bread.
In 1981 he helped to start Peace Brigades International
Peace Brigades International
Peace Brigades International is an NGO, founded in 1981, which "protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts". It primarily does this by sending volunteers to accompany human rights defenders whose lives are at risk in areas of conflict and to provide training in...
.
Taking on the simple life was also a way to keep any income away from the federal government. Even so, the IRS confiscated their red Volkswagen for back taxes. During the auction at the IRS headquarters in Chester in 1970, the Willoughbys and supporters served lemonade in the hallway before submitting the winning bid of $900 to buy the car back.
Willoughby died on January 5, 2010. He is survived by three daughters, Sally Willowbee, Anita and Sharon Willoughby; a son, Alan Willoughby, and three grandchildren.