Corliss Lamont
| Corliss Lamont | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 28, 1902 Englewood, New Jersey |
| Died | April 26, 1995 (aged 93) Ossining, New York |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Occupation | professor, philanthropist, political activist |
| Years active | 1928-1995 |
| Known for | support for Socialism, Popular Front, and civil liberties |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Hayes Irish (1), Helen Boyden Lamb (2), Beth Keehner (3) |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Lamont, Flora Lamont |
| Relatives | Ned Lamont, Jonathan Heap |
| Website | coliss-lamont |
Corliss Lamont (March 28, 1902 – April 26, 1995) was an American socialist philosopher and advocate of various left-wing and civil liberties causes. As a part of his political activities he was the Chairman of National Council of American-Soviet Friendship starting from the early 1940s.
Lamont was born in Englewood, New Jersey on March 28, 1902. He was the son of Florence Haskell (Corliss) and Thomas W. Lamont, a partner and later chairman at J.P. Morgan & Co. Lamont graduated as valedictorian of Phillips Exeter Academy in 1920, and magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1924. The principles that animated his life were first evidenced at Harvard, where he attacked university clubs as snobbery. In 1924 he did graduate work at New College University of Oxford, where he roomed with Julian Huxley. The next year Lamont began graduate studies at Columbia University, where he studied under John Dewey. In 1928 he became a philosophy instructor there. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1932 from Columbia. Lamont taught at Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, and the New School for Social Research.
Lamont became a radical in the 1930s, moved by the Great Depression. He wrote a book about the Soviet Union and praised what he saw there: "The people are better dressed, food is good and plentiful, everyone seems confident, happy and full of spirit". He became critical of the Soviets over time, but always thought their achievement in transforming a feudal society remarkable, even as he attacked its treatment of political dissent and lack of civil liberties. Lamont's political views were Marxist and socialist for much of his life.
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