George Mills Houser (June 2, 1916 – August 19, 2015) was an American Methodist minister, civil rights activist, and activist for the independence of African nations. He served on the staff of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (1940s–1950s).
With James Farmer and Bernice Fisher, he co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1942 in Chicago. With Bayard Rustin, another FOR staffer, Houser co-led the Journey of Reconciliation, a form of nonviolent direct action, a two-week interracial bus journey challenging segregation. It was a model for the 1961 Freedom Rides that CORE and the Nashville Student Movement later organized through the Deep South.
Early life and education
George Houser was born in 1916 in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents who were Methodist missionaries, and as a child, he spent several years with them in the Far East, largely in the Philippines. After studying at what is now the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, the young Houser completed his undergraduate work at the University of Denver. He then attended Union Theological Seminary, where he served as chairman of the school's social action commission. Houser, along with David Dellinger, was among 20 Union students who announced publicly that they would defy the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. In November 1940 Houser was arrested for refusing to be drafted. He served a year in jail.
After college, Houser was ordained as a Methodist minister. He soon became involved in movements for social justice and civil rights.
Career
Houser joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation in the 1940s and worked with it until the 1950s.
In 1947, after the US Supreme Court's finding (in Morgan v. Commonwealth) that segregation in interstate travel was unconstitutional, Houser helped organize the Journey of Reconciliation. This was a plan to send eight white and eight black men on a journey through Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky to test the ruling. The protest brought a great deal of press attention to CORE and to the issue of segregation in interstate travel. In February 1948 George Houser received the Thomas Jefferson Award for his work to bring an end to segregation on interstate buses and in their facilities.
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In 1949, Houser moved to Skyview Acres, an intentional community in Pomona, New York. In 2010, he received the Republic of South Africa’s Oliver R. Tambo Award. In the same year he moved to California, where he lived until his death. Houser died on August 19, 2015, at the age of 99 in Santa Rosa, California.
African independence movements
Houser left the FOR in the 1950s, when he turned his attention to African liberation struggles. Because of his continuing activities for independence and against apartheid, Houser was not permitted to enter South Africa again until 1991, after the end of the apartheid government.
From 1955 to 1981, Houser served as Executive Director of the ACOA; he also was Executive Director of The Africa Fund from 1966 to 1981. At ACOA, he spearheaded numerous campaigns supporting African struggles for liberation and independence, from Algeria to Zimbabwe. In an interview in 2004, he reflected on his work with ACOA and the transcript was published in the book No Easy Victories.
From 1954 to 2015, he made more than 30 trips to Africa. His support of liberation movements led him to develop close ties with many African leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Amílcar Cabral, Julius Nyerere, Eduardo Mondlane, Kwame Nkrumah, and Oliver Tambo.
Houser served on the Advisory Committee of the African Activist Archive Project.
Personal life and death
Houser married and raised four children with his wife, Jean. His son, Steven, previously taught history at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York, and now teaches World Civilizations at Grand Valley State University. His grandson, Chris, taught at Scarsdale High School. Houser died on August 19, 2015, at the age of 99 in Santa Rosa, California.