James Morgan Read
Encyclopedia
For the American
actor
, see Read Morgan
.
James Morgan Read (1908–1985) was a Quaker
and President of Wilmington College
, Ohio
from 1960–1969. He also served as United Nations
Deputy High Commissioner from 1951–1960, and was a vice president of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation
from 1969 until his retirement in 1974.
, the son of a Methodist Minister. He graduated from Dickinson College
, Pennsylvania, in 1929, and went on to earn a D. Phil.
from Marburg University in 1932, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
in 1940.
and served as Associate Professor of History and then Chairman of the Social Sciences Department at the University of Louisville
from 1935–43. In 1940 he married Henrietta Morton.
From 1943–1945, Read was employed in the Civilian Public Service
, after which he took a job as Associate Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation
in Washington DC, where he focused his efforts on legislation for displaced persons. He continued this work as Secretary in the Foreign Service Section of the American Friends Service Committee
from 1947 to 1949, overseeing the organization's relief work in the immediate postwar period.
In 1949, Read joined the Society of Friends as a member of the Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, Monthly Meeting. In 1950 he was named Chief of the Division of Education and Cultural Relations of the United States High Commissioner for Germany. From 1951-1960 he served as the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva
, and was briefly appointed Acting High Commissioner for a few months in 1956. He returned to the academic world as President of Wilmington College, Ohio from 1960–1969.
Read stepped down as President of Wilmington College in 1969 to become Vice-President of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. In 1974, when he attained the mandatory retirement age, Read chose to continue his association with the Foundation, serving as Senior Consultant in International Affairs. Two years after Henrietta Read's sudden death from cancer in 1976, James Read married Theresa K. Dintenfass.
In his capacity as Senior Consultant in International Affairs, Read was involved in three of the Dartmouth Conferences (XII, XIII, and XIV), a series of informal talks between leading citizens of the US and USSR initiated at the suggestion of President Eisenhower
and administered and co-sponsored by the Kettering Foundation. He also acted as Rapporteur for the third Soviet-American Writers Conference held in the USSR in 1979.
Read also wrote a report for Kettering on the Council on Foreign Relations
' fifth Conference on the US-Canada Relationship in 1981. Read maintained his involvement with the American Friends Service Committee, serving on the AFSC Board of Directors as member and Chair of the AFSC Information and Interpretation Committee. He was also Clerk of the Quaker United Nations Committee
in New York and made a study of the Special Committee of the UN General Assembly Banning the Use of Force. His experience with the UN also led to his involvement with the US Committee for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
. In 1983, he acted as a Consultant to Crosscurrents to study the possibility of establishing an office for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, see Read Morgan
Read Morgan
Read Morgan is a former American actor whose longest-running role was as a United States Army cavalry officer in the 1960-1961 season of The Deputy, a western television series on NBC created by Norman Lear. Morgan appeared in thirty episodes as the one-eyed Sergeant Hapgood Tasker, recognized by...
.
James Morgan Read (1908–1985) was a Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
and President of Wilmington College
Wilmington College
Wilmington College is a private career-oriented liberal arts institution established by Quakers in 1870 in Wilmington, Ohio, United States. The college is accredited by the North Central Association, .-About Wilmington College:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
from 1960–1969. He also served as 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...
Deputy High Commissioner from 1951–1960, and was a vice president of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Kettering Foundation
The Kettering Foundation is an American non-partisan research foundation founded in 1927 by Charles F. Kettering. The foundation publishes books and periodicals, employs research fellows, and organizes public forums on policy in order to answer the question: "what does it take for democracy to...
from 1969 until his retirement in 1974.
Early life
Read was born in Camden, New JerseyCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, the son of a Methodist Minister. He graduated from Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
, Pennsylvania, in 1929, and went on to earn a D. Phil.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Marburg University in 1932, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1940.
Career
From 1932–1934 Read taught history at Lycoming CollegeLycoming College
Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. One of the 50 oldest colleges in America, Lycoming enrolls 1400 undergraduate students from over 28 states and 12 foreign countries. Eighty percent of the college's students live on campus...
and served as Associate Professor of History and then Chairman of the Social Sciences Department at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
from 1935–43. In 1940 he married Henrietta Morton.
From 1943–1945, Read was employed in the Civilian Public Service
Civilian Public Service
The Civilian Public Service provided conscientious objectors in the United States an alternative to military service during World War II...
, after which he took a job as Associate Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Friends Committee on National Legislation a 501 lobbying organization in the public interest founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends...
in Washington DC, where he focused his efforts on legislation for displaced persons. He continued this work as Secretary in the Foreign Service Section of the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
from 1947 to 1949, overseeing the organization's relief work in the immediate postwar period.
In 1949, Read joined the Society of Friends as a member of the Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, Monthly Meeting. In 1950 he was named Chief of the Division of Education and Cultural Relations of the United States High Commissioner for Germany. From 1951-1960 he served as the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and was briefly appointed Acting High Commissioner for a few months in 1956. He returned to the academic world as President of Wilmington College, Ohio from 1960–1969.
Read stepped down as President of Wilmington College in 1969 to become Vice-President of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. In 1974, when he attained the mandatory retirement age, Read chose to continue his association with the Foundation, serving as Senior Consultant in International Affairs. Two years after Henrietta Read's sudden death from cancer in 1976, James Read married Theresa K. Dintenfass.
In his capacity as Senior Consultant in International Affairs, Read was involved in three of the Dartmouth Conferences (XII, XIII, and XIV), a series of informal talks between leading citizens of the US and USSR initiated at the suggestion of President Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
and administered and co-sponsored by the Kettering Foundation. He also acted as Rapporteur for the third Soviet-American Writers Conference held in the USSR in 1979.
Read also wrote a report for Kettering on the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
' fifth Conference on the US-Canada Relationship in 1981. Read maintained his involvement with the American Friends Service Committee, serving on the AFSC Board of Directors as member and Chair of the AFSC Information and Interpretation Committee. He was also Clerk of the Quaker United Nations Committee
Quaker United Nations Office
The Quaker United Nations Office is a non-governmental organisation representing the Religious Society of Friends at the United Nations. Parent bodies of QUNO are the Friends World Committee for Consultation, American Friends Service Committee and Quaker Peace and Social Witness...
in New York and made a study of the Special Committee of the UN General Assembly Banning the Use of Force. His experience with the UN also led to his involvement with the US Committee for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
United Nations Institute for Training and Research
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research was established in 1965 following a "for the training of personnel, particularly from developing Member States, for administrative and operational assignments with the United Nations and the specialized agencies, both at Headquarters and in...
. In 1983, he acted as a Consultant to Crosscurrents to study the possibility of establishing an office for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Friedrich Naumann Foundation
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party. Established in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany, it promotes individual freedom and liberalism.The Foundation follows the ideals of the...
.