George Houser - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

George M. Houser was born in 1916 to parents who were Methodist missionaries. As a child, he spent several years with them in the Far East. He attended Union Theological Seminary, where he served as chairman of the school's social action commission. Houser, along with David Dellinger, was among twenty 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 entry into the draft. He would serve a year in jail.

After college, he became ordained as a Methodist minister. He soon became involved in movements for social justice and civil rights.

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