Albert DeSilver (1888-1924) was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a non-governmental organization (NGO) whose stated goal is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person . ...

DeSilver graduated Yale in 1910 and then earned a law degree at Columbia Law School. Though he was being groomed for a place in New York's legal establishment, he resigned his law practice in 1918 to devote himself full time to defending conscientious objectors, other citizens and immigrants against unconstitutional persecution under new laws such as the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918. During World War I, DeSilver used his own war bonds to post bail for defendants in free speech cases. Yale can refer to: Yale University, one of the United States oldest and most famous universities. ... 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jerome L. Greene Hall, home of the Arthur W. Diamond Library. ... A conscientious objector is an individual whose personal beliefs are incompatible with military service, perhaps with any role in the armed forces or just with a particular war. ... The Espionage Act of 1917 passed by the United States Congress made it a crime, punishable by a $10,000 fine and 20 years in jail, for a person to convey antipathy with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United... The Sedition Act of 1918 was an amendment to the Espionage Act of 1917. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations and... An American War Bonds poster from 1942 War bonds were a form of savings bond used in the United States and Canada to help fund World War I and World War II. They were also a measure to manage inflation by removing money from the economy heated up by the... Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail (skipping bail, or jumping bail, is also illegal). ... Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ...

At the founding of the ACLU in 1920, DeSilver was named Associate Director and worked in legal defense, public education, and lobbying. While alive, DeSilver provided more than half of the ACLU's operating funds on an annual basis. After his death at age 36, DeSilver's wife Margaret continued contributing to the ACLU each year in his name.

References

The Albert DeSilver story via ACLU Florida