Does anyone know some bios on those two guys? What do you think about them? Are they nice, bad or just ordinary guys in the higher ups of the Watchtower hierachy? Please, post some photos of them if available.
Thank you
Scott77
Watchtower Attorneys Hayden Covington and Charles Smith
by Scott77 14 Replies latest watchtower bible
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im stuck in
Somewhere I read an interview done with Hayden Covington. It may have been on this site or one of the others from the past years. Now that I think of it it is on Randys site freeminds. Also do a google search there is much available.
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james_woods
Hayden Covington completely blew the draft resistance case of two good friends in Oklahoma City back in the late 60s.
They thought he was "the best" because they had heard all about his supreme court cases from the witnesses.
What he did was charge them $10,000 each, give a bellicose (likely drunken) rant in court, and they ended up with the 5 year max.
He bailed out on them before arranging surrender and custody (they had to use a family attorney for that) - in order to go back to defend Muhammad Ali on draft issues.
He also arranged the pilfering of a large family estate to be given to the watchtower and left the true heirs penniless earlier in the 60s in OKC.
He also showed up nearly falling-down drunk at one of our congregation meetings when he was defending the two guys.
If it sounds like I have no respect for the old blowhard, then it is because I have no respect for the old blowhard.
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yknot
Hayden was a hero in my first congo.....
I know others have a different opinion and that is probably fair..
He was an East Texas boy and from the tapes I listened to as a child he wasn't that bad, he did a little bragging but was also quite honest and humble..
Joked and drank like a lot of men from his era and upbringing....
Loved a good underdog fight (most men do) but I don't really understand how he got suckered into the deeper aspects of WT beliefs.
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james_woods
Loved a good underdog fight (most men do) but I don't really understand how he got suckered into the deeper aspects of WT beliefs.
There are some who say that he never really was that much into the religious aspect of it all - maybe he just liked being the big poo-bah back in the days of the Supreme Court cases.
He was certainly a better lawyer in the earlier days (when he won those cases) than what I observed back in 1967 or so.
The society DFd him allegedly for booze not long after that, but I have always suspected it was really for defending Muhammed Ali under the secret JC covers.
He did eventually get re-instated not too long before he died.
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Scott77
You guys and gals are amazing historians of sorts. Anymores?
Scott77
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Band on the Run
My father liked him very much at Bethel. They were drinking buddies. Ten Thousand dollars is not much for a legal case, IMO. I realize it is a ton of money but legal cases are very expensive. It prevents true justice. The ACLU draws from the very best corporate law firms and top law school faculties. Their amicus briefs probably played a large role in those decisions. Knorr was irritated by attention to society's lawyers. Covington was more popular than Knorr from what I overheard. There were rumors of disfellowshipping for being so popular. As much as my father liked him, he would not even acknowledge him at a convention b/c of the rumors. We tried hard to find out the truth.
A lawyer can't guarantee results. His record was impressive. My mom had a very close family friend show off before the judge during sentencing. He proclaimed the court could not make him serve the govt. b/c he was dedicated to Jehovah. One youthful outburst severely increased his prison sentence. There was also Moyle.
If someone can explain to me how female lawyers can remain Witnesses I'd love to hear the tale. I had to fight to stay in high school. Lawyers are officers of the court with allegiances sworn to the federal and state constitution. It blows my mind. I had the same feeling watching Michael Jackson move across the state and enact sexual climax. If I ever grabbed my crotch at the Kingdom Hall, would I be courted. It simply outrages me. I came across a law journal article written by a female Witness during my own research. I even wrote her a note expressing my views of express not following Witness dictates. Why could I wash toilets while she had a luxurious life in some law school. The final straw for me was not only that she was a lawyer but that her college and law school were not fly by night operations.
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VM44
Hayden Covington info:
Web Pages:
Interview with Watchtower Attorney Hayden Covingtonhttp://www.freeminds.org/life-stories/bethelites/interview-with-watchtower-attorney-hayden-covington.html
Hayden Covington (1911 - 1978) - Biographical Notehttp://pastorrussell.blogspot.com/2010/04/hayden-covington-1911-1978.html
Jerry Bergman Interview on Hayden Covingtonhttp://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/scandals/103871/1/Jerry-Bergman-Interview-on-Hayden-Covington
PhD Dissertation on Hayden Covington by JENNIFER HENDRSONhttp://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/56734/1/Ph-D-Dissertation-on-Hayden-Covington
Audio Files:
1978_Hayden_Covington_Interviewed_By_Jerry_Murray http://www.archive.org/details/HaydenCCovingtonInterview
Funeral Discourse for Hayden C. Covington, given in November, 1978.http://www.archive.org/details/FuneralDiscourseHaydenCCovington
"They Oppose Freedom of Worship," by Hayden C. Covington. Talk given at the 1953 International Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesseshttp://www.archive.org/details/TheyOpposeFreedomOfWorshipPHOTO:
Cassius Clay Laughing with Attorney Hayden Covington
Original caption: Heavyweight champion Cassius Clay (L) has a big laugh on his attorney, Hayden Covington, of NY, as they walk to lunch 5/8 before a 21-member Federal Grand Jury indicted him for refusing to be inducted into the Armed Forces. Clay played his joke on Covington by hiding in a doorway and having a friend tell Covington and his Houston attorney, Quinnan Hodges, that two men had arrested Clay and put him in a car. Clay's big laugh came when he saw Covington's surprised reaction. DATE PHOTOGRAPHED
May 08, 1967LOCATION
Houston, Texas, USA -
Scott77
Very interesting and informative. You guys and gals rock.
Scott77
