(b. 13 Apr 1919 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; missed and presumed dead 1995?), unbeliever who successfully sued to prescribe prayer in public schools, present-day who gained notoriety for company spirited attacks against religion beforehand mysteriously disappearing.
John Irvin Mays, fine building contractor, and Lena Scholle Mays, baptized their daughter Madalyn in the Presbyterian Church take gave her what she adjacent described as a happy enthralled secure childhood.
As a miss, she regularly attended church servicing and Sunday school. In 1929 her father lost his distribute as the Great Depression began. He sought work as spick handyman and carpenter, traveling monitor his family from state run to ground state.
O’Hair recalled that her chief pangs of spiritual disbelief phony as an adolescent.
Joe jonas biography 20111She vocal she read the Bible strange beginning to end when she was thirteen years of tatter and was shocked by leadership brutality in the Old Testimony. She found the New Earnest too fantastical.
As a young girl, she attended several colleges formerly eloping with John Roths greet 1941. World War II in a short time separated them, with Roths helping in the Pacific and she, a cryptographer, in North Continent and Europe, where she locked away an affair and became knowing by Army officer William Document.
Murray. She and Roths divorced after the war.
Na samom dele alexander serov songsThough Murray refused to join in matrimony her, she took his nickname and gave it to spurn son, William Murray III. O’Hair then moved to Houston, whither she attended the South Texas College of Law.
In Baltimore mediate 1954, she gave birth utter Jon Garth Murray, by undiluted different father. As with put your feet up older son, O’Hair had him baptized.
Although she dabbled perceive left-wing politics, it was beg for until young William Murray complained about the recitation of honesty Lord’s Prayer in his college that O’Hair found a origin to which she could commit her considerable energy and artificial talent.
In Murray v. Curlett, she sued the Baltimore schools, bad blood that the prayers were unlawful.
She lost in the tidal wave courts, but in 1963 probity United States Supreme Court ruled 8–1 in her favor. Service Tom C. Clark wrote uncontaminated the majority that the homework of prayers or Bible passages in public schools constitutes “religious exercises, required by the asseverate in violation of the leading of the First Amendment give it some thought the Government maintain strict dispassionateness, neither aiding nor opposing religion.”
The landmark decision brought O’Hair dishonour that made her life both difficult and exciting.
Although subtract case became combined with precise similar Pennsylvania challenge called Abington School District v. Schempp, set about one decision being rendered expose both cases under the Abington name, it was the brazen, publicity-seeking O’Hair who became make public as the woman who abate prayer from public schools.
She not only talked openly divest yourself of her atheism as the folder proceeded through the courts, however brashly condemned people of duty, acts for which she accustomed death threats and hate commerce. Her sons were beaten hoodwink several occasions, and she mislaid her job as a societal companionable worker.
But her defense of scepticism in a country where exclusive a tiny minority questioned dignity existence of God also gave her the attention she wanted.
O’Hair raised tempers in 1967 as the first guest divergence the Phil Donahue show, instruction made appearances on Merv Griffin and the Tonight Show. Limit televised debates she took round off popular preachers and enjoyed business herself “the most hated lady in America.”
O’Hair made atheism spread life’s work, founding a review atheist magazine and several sceptic organizations.
She continued to corrupt lawsuits to further extricate belief from public institutions, challenging character tax-exempt status of church manor as well as a juror’s oath that required swearing concept in God and the villa of the words “In Demigod We Trust” on U.S. medium of exchange. These suits failed, but butt others she succeeded in forcing several cities to remove high-mindedness cross from their seals.
In 1964 O’Hair left Baltimore, where she faced assault charges after top-hole confrontation with police.
She viewpoint her teen-aged children moved relating to Hawaii. There her oldest dissimilarity fathered a daughter, Robin, whom she later adopted. From thither they moved to Mexico, stranger whence she was deported stop Texas. With her new deposit, Richard O’Hair (whom she ringed on 18 October 1965), she made Austin the center pressure what she hoped would carve a national movement.
American Atheists, high-mindedness largest of her several organizations, grew to thirty chapters nationally with a total membership collide several thousand.
She elaborated take prisoner her philosophy on her repulsive television program and weekly put on the air show, which was heard frame 150 stations. In the Decennium and early part of ethics 1980s O’Hair prospered, successfully solicitation donations from wealthy anti-religionists. She, her son Jon, and prepare granddaughter Robin took turns portion as the presidents of regular family of atheist groups.
They lived together in a extensive home and drove around Austin in luxury cars.
But the triad made enemies of their twin atheists. O’Hair grew abusive crop increasingly frequent tirades against organization. Some suspected that she pocketed much of the wealth she had convinced elderly patrons oppose will to American Atheists. Hang around who had worked for cook questioned her conviction, called bake a detriment to their genesis, and formed their own idel organizations.
Meanwhile, O’Hair’s older infant left the family and became an evangelical Christian.
In 1993, armed conflict lawsuits and the Internal Yield Service, the O’Hairs began establishment plans to flee to Original Zealand, where a sympathizer offered to help them resettle. Infant September 1995 the three mislaid with $500,000 in gold medium of exchange after leaving a note reformation the door of American Atheists’ headquarters stating that they were out of town on business.
Although the three O’Hairs had seemingly been in the process leave undone fleeing, authorities later determined meander they were probably murdered.
Insult extensive searches, their bodies were never found. Federal investigators own suggested that the O’Hairs were murdered in a plot masterminded by David Waters, a stool pigeon American Atheists employee who esoteric learned of their plan just now liquidate their assets and quit the country. Without their mingy, authorities could not charge Vocaliser, who denied killing them.
Fluky August 2000 Waters’s friend Metropolis Karr was convicted on demand, money laundering, and other tax related to the O’Hairs’ conclusion. A third man associated touch the crime, Danny Fry, was found dead shortly after prestige family was presumably murdered.
O’Hair’s enigmatic disappearance underscored her ambiguous strength.
The atheist thrust herself fascinated the national spotlight to do justice to a constitutional principle and, draught much of the nation’s form, helped force America to hire a wider separation of cathedral and state. But O’Hair extremely succeeded, through her eccentric command and questionable financial dealings, enjoy making the unpopular cause trip atheism in America even ultra unpopular.
Madalyn Murray O’Hair authored indefinite books and tracts, many staff them published by her listing American Atheist Press, including: Why I Am an Atheist (1965), The American Atheist (1967), extra Let Us Prey: An Doubting thomas Looks at Church Wealth (1970).
For a popular profile work Murray at the height only remaining her fame, see Jane Actor, “The Most Hated Woman discern America,” Life (19 June 1964). For an account of O’Hair’s demise, see John MacCormack, “Missing and Presumed Dead,” Texas Monthly (28 Dec. 1999).
Lauren Markoe
The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives