Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Rev. Sayre in 1961 | |
| Born | January 17, 1915 White House, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | October 3, 2008 (aged 93) Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | Ashes interred at the Washington National Cathedral |
| Alma mater | Williams College Union Theological Seminary |
| Occupation(s) | Priest, civil rights activist |
| Spouse |
Harriet Taft Hart
(m. 1946; died 2003) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Francis Bowes Sayre Sr. Jessie Wilson Sayre |
| Relatives |
|
Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. (January 17, 1915 – October 3, 2008) was Dean of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., for 27 years. He was the eldest grandchild of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States.
He was a vocal opponent of segregation, poverty, McCarthyism, and the Vietnam War. In March 1965. he joined Martin Luther King Jr. on the voting-rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Sayre was unafraid to denounce Senator Joseph McCarthy during the height of the latter's influence in the 1950s. In 1954, Sayre called McCarthy a "pretended patriot", adding "There is a devilish indecision about any society that will permit an impostor like McCarthy to caper out front while the main army stands idly by."[1]
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (October 11, 2008). "Francis Sayre Jr., National Cathedral Dean, Dies at 93". The New York Times. p. A33.