Letter from Clarence Mitchell on Harry and Ruth Kingman, November 21, 1964
Description:
This is a letter from Clarence Mitchell, Director of Washington Bureau, in support of "The Citizens' Lobby for Freedom and Fair Play" dated November 21, 1964. The letter was attached to an article titled "Our Men in Washington - Harry Kingman, Citizen Lobby" that appeared in the October, 1964 addition of Pomona Today. The letter outlines the successes of the Lobby, including the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, gives a brief bio of Harry Kingman, and then asks for money to support the Lobby.
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Harry L. Kingman was a student at Springfield College, then the International YMCA College, class of 1916. Born in Tientsin, China in 1892, he became the first person born in China to play in the professional baseball leagues in the United States, playing briefly for the New York Yankees in 1914. He worked with the International YMCA in China from 1921 to 1927, working with students in Tientsin, Shanghai, and Nanking. For most of his career he worked as the YMCA General Secretary of Stiles Hall, headquarters for the University of California Student YMCA. During his time there he also coached the University of California freshman baseball team for twenty years. After he retired, he and his wife, Ruth, started "The Citizen's Lobby for Freedom and Fair Play," though which he lobbied for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the promotion of the Peace Corps among many other works. Continuing his ties to baseball, during his time there he helped coach the Democrats in their annu
