Guy Chichester
Encyclopedia
Guy Chichester was a founding member of the Clamshell Alliance
, an anti-nuclear group that led protests against Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
in the 1970s, which led to a broader environmental movement
. Though the Seabrook power plant was eventually built, a planned second reactor at the site was cancelled. Several acts of protest at Seabrook, including one large demonstration that resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests, contributed to a turn public opinion against nuclear power in the USA in the 1970s. Then Governor Meldrim Thomson, a vocal supporter of the Seabrook plant, was defeated for re-election in 1978, in large part because of voter dissatisfaction over the rising cost of plant construction.
A few years before the Seabrook protests, Chichester helped rally opposition to a plan by Aristotle Onassis
to build an oil refinery on Great Bay
in Durham, New Hampshire
. He helped establish the national Green Party. Chichester was also a local organizer for George McGovern
's 1972 presidential campaign.
Chichester was born and raised on Long Island
, New York
. He was a carpenter by trade.
Clamshell Alliance
The Clamshell Alliance is an anti-nuclear organization co-founded by Paul Gunter, Howie Hawkins, Harvey Wasserman, Guy Chichester and other activists in 1976. The alliance's coalescence began in 1975 as New England activists and organizations began to respond to U.S...
, an anti-nuclear group that led protests against Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as Seabrook Station, is a nuclear power plant located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, approximately north of Boston and south of Portsmouth. Two units were planned, but the second unit was never completed due to construction delays, cost overruns...
in the 1970s, which led to a broader environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
. Though the Seabrook power plant was eventually built, a planned second reactor at the site was cancelled. Several acts of protest at Seabrook, including one large demonstration that resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests, contributed to a turn public opinion against nuclear power in the USA in the 1970s. Then Governor Meldrim Thomson, a vocal supporter of the Seabrook plant, was defeated for re-election in 1978, in large part because of voter dissatisfaction over the rising cost of plant construction.
A few years before the Seabrook protests, Chichester helped rally opposition to a plan by Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
to build an oil refinery on Great Bay
Great Bay (New Hampshire)
Great Bay is a tidal estuary located in Strafford and Rockingham counties in eastern New Hampshire, United States. The bay occupies over , not including its several tidal river tributaries. Its outlet is at Hilton Point in Dover, New Hampshire, where waters from the bay flow into the Piscataqua...
in Durham, New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
. He helped establish the national Green Party. Chichester was also a local organizer for George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's 1972 presidential campaign.
Chichester was born and raised on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was a carpenter by trade.
See also
- Anti-nuclear movement in the United StatesAnti-nuclear movement in the United StatesThe anti-nuclear movement in the United States consists of more than 80 anti-nuclear groups which have acted to oppose nuclear power or nuclear weapons, or both, in the United States. These groups include the Abalone Alliance, Clamshell Alliance, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research,...
- Anti-nuclear protests in the United States
- Paul GunterPaul GunterPaul Gunter is a co-founder of the Clamshell Alliance anti-nuclear group, who was arrested at Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant for non-violent civil disobedience on several occasions. An energy policy analyst and activist, he has been a vocal critic of nuclear power for more than 30 years...