James Ellery Bristol

AKA: James E. Bristol; Jim Bristol
Released
Date of birth:12. 02. 1912
Date of death:26. 10. 1992
Age:80† Deceased
Gender:Male
Era:1940s
State:New Jersey
Support
Pacifism American Friends Service Committee
James Ellery Bristol

Biography

James Ellery Bristol was an American peace activist and Lutheran minister who was imprisoned for conscientious objection during World War II. He had served a congregation in Camden, New Jersey, and declined a ministerial exemption from military service. Federal records date his conviction to October 31, 1941; he was released in 1943. He later joined the American Friends Service Committee and directed its Quaker Center in New Delhi, helping organize and accompany Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's 1959 visit to India. He remained active in opposition to conscription and war. His draft-law conviction was pardoned in December 1947.

Case

Charges: Violation of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 arising from conscientious refusal of military service; exact count unverified.
Released: 1943
Sentence: Imprisoned for conscientious draft resistance and released in 1943. Stanford's King Institute reports 18 months served; an AFSC account reports 19 months. The discrepancy is unresolved, so no numeric duration is entered. Exact sentence, prison, arrest date, and release day remain unverified. The 1947 pardon was later than his release.
Convicted: Convicted October 31, 1941, U.S. District Court for New Jersey. Pardoned December 23, 1947, by Presidential Proclamation 2762.

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