Hayden Covington's unwitting role in harsh disfellowship policy (page 2)

Terry

Well, we know how the previous legal counsel, Olin Moyle, met his comeuppance!

It was not a "gracious" bowing out any more than Covington's.

When Russell was old and ailing, Rutherford was clearly preparing to make his leap onto the stage utterly and summarily sweeping aside the Pastor's wishes (as outlined in his Will.)

Further, when the directors voted against one of Rutherford's articles, he dismissed all of them! But, cleverly, left their names in the magazines as though they were STILL on the Board.

He sent travelling representatives to autonomous Bible Student congregations to "help" them organize and ended up completely replacing bible reading with Watchtower Studies.

Covington's deep affection and affinity with Rutherford had him all set to replace the Judge. Knorr and Franz maneuvered to prevent that, but, tossed him the bone of Supreme Court cases. The Society created situations in which hand-picked people would meet with deliberate clashes in carefully selected communities so that Covington could file suit and defend them.

It was a chessboard and all the members were pawns and kings.

When the big headline cases petered out was when Covington slipped into a sullen despair and his drinking took over his life.

But, let us not forget, Rutherford was a boozer too! Even during Prohibition!

Drinking wasn't the problem with those men so much as it was their alienating bullying personalities!

If we took the time and trouble to place all the jigsaw pieces in a careful timeline I believe a clearer picture would emerge that would

be most enlightening! :)

james_woods

I thought it was also quite revealing that Covington did not deny that Rutherford had the mistresses...

I would just bet that he knew where a lot of bodies were buried in the 1930s - wchich probably kept him around for a lot of years after he was no longer useful to them in actual law cases.

designs

San Diego was a great Port O Call for the Navy no wonder the Judge chose it for Beth Sarim.

Terry

I once knew a guy whose brother had been a big football hero at college.

He told me how his brother would walk into a crowded room and immediately become the center of attention.

Then, once out of college, all the attention went away and the former hero became a mere human.

He couldn't stand it!

He'd start getting into fights and do outrageous things.

He got into drugs and eventually became so pathetic his family had to stage an intervention.

My point being...

Losing the limelight when you have a huge ego is often a desperate trial to overcome.

I think Covington, had he become the Watchtower President or remained the vice-president, would have continued to create CONFRONTATIONAL crisis

after crisis in the lives of the brothers all over the world.

Clearly, SOME of that was continued. But, not nearly as much as during the Rutherford regime.

What Covington needed was a spotlight and a cause on a HUGE stage or arena.

When that went away.......it was time for Glug glug glug.

I hear so many JW's who talk about Covington get the timeline all wrong. It is as if it were the DRINKING all along that caused his diminished role in the Society. On the contrary, Covington and Knorr met with President Truman over several draft cases. This in the early 50's. Truman was cursing and foaming at the mouth about S.O.B.'s who wouldn't fight for their country. And yet---Truman ended up being persuaded!

Covington was charismatic when he was "on" and was a loud lout when he was "off."

james_woods

San Diego was a great Port O Call for the Navy no wonder the Judge chose it for Beth Sarim.

I would not be surprised if the location had been picked FOR HIM - to get him as far away from Bethel Headquarters as possible. Another little side fact about Covington: One of his main services to the society was arranging wills leaving everything to the society after the deaths of well-off witnesses. I saw him do this in Oklahoma City on one occasion which left the legitimate heirs of a pretty wealthy family with nothing. I know that some here admire the personal freedoms issues that he argued before the supreme court, but I can tell you that I have absolutely zero respect for this blowhard.

palmtree67

This should be in the "Best Of" section.

designs

Mohammed Ali got Covington we got zip nada from the Society on our Draft Cases.

Terry

I know a couple of Brothers who got Covington and he was EXPENSIVE!

He also incompetently bungled their cases!

I was prosecuted for free and had the same result:)

james_woods

Mohammed Ali got Covington we got zip nada from the Society on our Draft Cases.

Teryy knows all about this, (and maybe can comment further), but I actually saw him walk out on the appeals process of two witness friends in the 1960s to go defend Muhammed Ali. Naturally, he gave Ali a much more vigorous defense than he put up for my friends. I have been told by some very connected witness people that it was the Muhammed Ali defense which actually triggered the disfellowshipping of Covington. He had been drinking for a long time before that, and they seemed willing to put up with it until then.

Gayle

So, Russell wouldn't have picked Rutherford, and Rutherford wouldn't have picked Knorr to follow as president.

Knorr wouldn't pick anyone. Freddie would have been too wierd, lived really in his own world, even at Bethel. No body of the developing GB in mid-70s would pick Freddie either. Knorr didn't like losing his power to the 'group.' Knorr would have 'croaked' at the existing GB group. Certainly, circuit overseers or district were considered way downline from 'Bethel' long-timers. He would have been insulted at the idea of then (in '70) partaker new boy Bethelite Steven Lett (about 21 yrs old) would ever be a GB. What a kind of comedy.

Now, this 'un-magnificent 7' seem dazed and confused, though still harsh in the 'control' they think they should have. What kind of power play is within them or will be? I suspect some kind of power play within them will have to kick in soon (and I don't mean a WTS kind of 'soon.'

Hayden Covington's unwitting role in harsh disfellowship policy

Share this