Terry Dolan (activist)

John Terrence "Terry" Dolan (1950 – December 28, 1986) was an American New Right political activist who was a co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC).[1] Dolan was also, during the mid to late 1970s, in the leadership of Christian Voice, "the nation's oldest conservative Christian lobby".[2]

This article is part of a series on
Conservatism in
the United States
Schools
Principles
History
People
Parties
Think tanks
Other organizations
Media
Variants and movements
See also
 Conservatism portal

While Dolan was a proponent of family values and the organizations he led were persistently critical of gay rights, he was revealed to have been a closeted homosexual,[3][4][5][6] who frequented gay bars in Washington, D.C.[7] At a Washington fundraising event in 1985, the renowned AIDS activist Larry Kramer reportedly tossed a glass of water in his face.[8] Dolan died from complications of AIDS at the age of 36.[9]

Political activities

College Republicans

A native of Connecticut, Dolan became active in politics during his teens as a Republican volunteer. At age 21, he worked as a paid organizer in Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential re-election campaign.[10] The following year, he was a candidate for chairman of the College Republican National Committee but lost to Karl Rove.[11]

Christian Voice to Moral Majority

After Christian Voice co-founder Dr. Robert Grant ousted Dolan, Howard Phillips, and Richard Viguerie from the Christian Voice organization, the trio went on to help persuade Jerry Falwell to build a new Christian Right organization, the Moral Majority.

National Conservative Political Action Committee

Dolan was later a co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC).[1] He co-authored Reagan: A President Succeeds with Gregory Fossedal. His brother, Anthony R. Dolan, was also a political activist and Ronald Reagan's chief presidential speechwriter.[12]

Dolan was a member of the Council for National Policy Board of Governors, a member of the advisory board for CAUSA International (an educational, anti-communist organization founded by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon),[13][14] and Director of Conservatives Against Liberal Legislation (CALL).[15]

References
  1. Elizabeth Kastor (1987), The Cautious Closet of the Gay Conservative; In the Life and Death of Terry Dolan, Mirror Images From the Age of AIDS, The Washington Post, May 11, 1987.
  2. Christian Voice, Inc., archive.org.
  3. Gallagher, John; Bull, Chris (May 13, 1997), Perfect Enemies, Crown Publishers, ISBN 0-517-70198-7, retrieved 2010-05-25
  4. Rich, Frank (2005-05-15), "Just How Gay is the Right?", The New York Times, retrieved 2007-09-06
  5. Shilts, Randy (2000), And the Band Played on, St. Martin's Press, p. 407, ISBN 0-312-24135-6
  6. Lauerman, Kerry (June 23, 2012). "Terry Dolan". LGBT's worst foe: The Closet Monster. Salon.com.
  7. Steve Endean (2006), Bringing Lesbian And Gay Rights Into the Mainstream: Twenty Years of Progress, Haworth Press; ISBN 1-56023-526-8, p. 269
  8. Larry Kramer, writer who sounded alarm on AIDS, dies at 84,The Washington Post, May 28, 2020
  9. Henry, III, William A. (1990-01-29), "Forcing Gays Out of the Closet", Time, retrieved 2007-09-06
  10. The New Right Takes Aim, Time magazine, August 20, 1979.
  11. Karl Rove: The Strategist, by Dan Balz, Washington Post, July 23, 1999.
  12. Dolan, Tony: Files, 1981-1989 – Reagan Library Collections, retrieved 2007-09-06
  13. Michael Isikoff, Church Spends Millions on its Image, The Washington Post, September 17, 1984, page A1.
  14. Sun Myung Moon's Followers Recruit Christians to Assist in Battle Against Communism Christianity Today June 15, 1985.
  15. John T. (Terry) Dolan Archived 2007-06-10 at the Wayback Machine, The Council for National Policy: Selected Member Biographies
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.