Terry Dolan
American conservative political activist
About Terry Dolan
Lived 1950 – 1986 (aged 35–36). Terry Dolan was an American.
John Terrence "Terry" Dolan (1950 – December 28, 1986) was an American New Right political activist who was a co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC). Dolan was also, during the mid to late 1970s, in the leadership of Christian Voice, "the nation's oldest conservative Christian lobby".
While Dolan was a proponent of family values and the organizations he led were persistently critical of gay rights, he was revealed to have been a closeted homosexual, who frequented gay bars in Washington, D.C. At a Washington fundraising event in 1985, AIDS activist Larry Kramer reportedly tossed a glass of water in his face. Dolan died from complications of AIDS at the age of 36. He is one of many with panels dedicated to them (in his case three panels) in the AIDS Quilt.
Political activities College Republicans A native of Connecticut, Dolan became active in politics during his teens as a Republican volunteer. At age 21, he worked as a paid organizer in Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential re-election campaign. The following year, he was a candidate for chairman of the College Republican National Committee but lost to Karl Rove.
Christian Voice to Moral Majority After Christian Voice co-founder Dr. Robert Grant ousted Dolan, Howard Phillips, and Richard Viguerie from the Christian Voice organization, the trio went on to help persuade Jerry Falwell to build a new Christian Right organization, the Moral Majority.
National Conservative Political Action Committee Dolan was later a co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC).
Dolan was a member of the Council for National Policy Board of Governors, a member of the advisory board for CAUSA International (an educational, anti-communist organization founded by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon), and Director of Conservatives Against Liberal Legislation (CALL).
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Important facts
People in Terry Dolan's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Terry Dolan's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Terry Dolan?
American conservative political activist (1950-1986)
When was Terry Dolan born?
Terry Dolan was born in 1950.
When did Terry Dolan die?
Terry Dolan died on 28 December 1986.
What nationality was Terry Dolan?
Terry Dolan was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Terry Dolan (activist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Terry Dolan. https://biography.guide/terry-dolan/
MLA: "Terry Dolan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/terry-dolan/.
Chicago: "Terry Dolan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/terry-dolan/.
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