Jerome Grossman, former chairman of Council for a Livable World from the Boston area, passed away yesterday at the age of 96.
Jerry was a writer, lecturer, radio commentator, activist and former businessman. His wife Roslyn, to whom he was married for 69 years, passed away in 2011.
A passionate advocate for the elimination of nuclear weapons, Grossman served as Executive Director and President of both the Council and Council for a Livable World Education Fund from 1980 – 1991 and as the Chairman of the Council’s Board of Directors from 1991 to 2006. He took over when the Council was struggling financially and nursed the organization to health and renewed growth.
Grossman loved coming to Washington, D.C. to meet with Senators and Representatives to discuss key national security issues. Visiting the nation’s capital was his opportunity to persuade Senators to reduce nuclear weaponry and adopt sensible national security policies and to make sure that these issues forced their way onto the Senators’ agenda.
Grossman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Max and Mary Grossman. He graduated from Harvard University in 1938. From 1944 to 1975, he owned and operated Massachusetts Envelopes Company, a producer of envelopes and related products.
Grossman spent his life fighting for equality, peace, and a future free of nuclear weapons. In 1969, he founded the Vietnam Moratorium Movement. Grossman was active in many political campaigns to elect strongly pro-peace candidates, including the 1968 McCarthy for President campaign, the 1970 Robert F. Drinan for Congress campaign and the 1972 McGovern for President campaign.
Grossman also served as a member of the Democratic National Committee, chaired the Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union and was the founder of Massachusetts Political Action for Peace. He toured the country promoting the nuclear weapons freeze movement person-to-person.
As a businessman in the 1940s, Grossman hired members of underrepresented groups like African Americans and women, despite opposition. Throughout his career in politics he continued to fight for fair representation in the Democratic Party.
Grossman wrote the book Relentless Liberal, published by Vantage Press in 1996, as well as numerous articles in publications like The Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, and the Notre Dame Law School Journal.
The funeral will be held Sunday, December 22, at 11:00 AM, at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446 | 617-277-8300.
The family has asked that any donations in Jerry’s memory go to Council for a Livable World. To contribute, click here.
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