Alan Barth

Alan Barth (October 21, 1906 – November 20, 1979) was a 20th-century American journalist and author, specializing in civil liberties, best known for his 30-year stint as an editorial writer at The Washington Post as well as his books, particularly The Loyalty of Free Men.

Background

He was born Alan Barth Lachheimer on October 21, 1906, in New York City to Jacob and Flora (Barth) Lauchheimer. He received his Ph.B. from Yale University in 1929 and was a Nieman fellow at Harvard University 1948–49.

Barth also contributed to The New York Times Magazine and Book Review.

Works

His best-known book is probably the posthumously published The Rights of Free Men: An Essential Guide to Civil Liberties, a collection of his articles, editorials, speeches, and other material. In 1951, he was awarded the Hillman Prize for his book, The Loyalty of Free Men. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1952. The U.S. Government had it removed from its public bookshelves. "How good is an FBI report?" in Harper's (March 1954) "Why handle criminals with kid gloves?" in Harper's (September 1959)