James Draper Newton
| James Draper Newton | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 30, 1905 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| December 13, 1999 (aged 94)December 13, 1999 (aged 94) | |
| 🏳️ Nationality | United States |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Notable work | Uncommon Friends of the 20th Century |
James Draper Newton (March 30, 1905 – December 13, 1999) first became acquainted with the First Century Christian Fellowship about 1926 at a house party held at the Toy Town Tavern in Winchendon, Massachusetts, USA led by Sherwood Day. In 1924, Newton had moved to Fort Myers, Florida, USA and purchased a large plot of land that he developed into the neighborhood known today as Edison Park. This neighborhood begins directly across the street from Thomas Edison’s home and although Jimmy was 19 and Edison was 76 when they met, they struck up an intimate friendship that is detailed in the book The Uncommon Friends: Life with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel, and Charles Lindbergh.
Early life
From 1928 to 1936 Newton was an Executive with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He helped open Firestone stores throughout the United States and at one point oversaw a new store opening every 48 hours. Newton selflessly entered an alcohol rehabilitation program supporting Firestone’s son and Jim’s friend “Bud,” although Newton was not a drinker. In 1936 Newton asked Firestone for a leave of absence so his “soul could catch up with his body.” From then until 1967, other than his service in WWII, Newton was a full-time Moral Re-Armament (MRA) worker. During WWII Newton served in the U.S. Army which he left in 1946 as a Major. While in the Army, he was responsible for instruction in the use of infantry weapons for over 10,000 soldiers. He later went to the Philippines where he was part of a task force planning the invasion of Japan.
Marriage to Eleanor Napier Forde, Life in Fort Myers, and Uncommon Friends
In 1927 Newton met Eleanor Napier Forde (May 26, 1899 – July 26, 2003) who had already played an important role in Buchman’s work and was the first woman to work full-time with his movement. Forde had written “The Guidance of God,” one of the most effective early publications. They were married in Washington, DC, USA on March 7, 1943 while Newton was on military leave. Charles Lindbergh served as Newton’s best man. Eleanor and her husband were close friends of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles A. Lindbergh. At the age of nineteen, James Newton became a real estate developer in Fort Myers, Florida. During this time, he became well acquainted with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone. In the 1920s, James participated in southwest Florida's real estate boom. He was the president of a company that developed 55 acres along McGregor Boulevard called "Edison Park". In 1928, he was hired by Firestone, where he served in various administrative positions. In the 1930s, Newton became increasingly involved in the Moral Re-Armament. He left Firestone in 1936 to work for the MRA full-time. By that time, Eleanor was a long-time teacher and leader in the MRA. Newton’s specific work activities with MRA are still being discovered. It's likely that he introduced Frank Buchman to Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. He also facilitated the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron, Ohio, USA. Newton certainly worked with the executives of the American airlines serving Latin America from Miami, Florida, USA in 1951 in what has been described as MRA’s greatest industrial success story. Jim and Ellie Newton returned to his home in Fort Myers, Florida, in 1967 where he founded the successful real estate business, James D. Newton and Associates. He continued to support the activities of MRA and regularly attended conferences in Caux, Switzerland where he maintained worldwide friendships with several high-ranking officials such as Cardinal Franz König, Rajmohan Gandhi, and King Michael of Romania.
Literary work: Uncommon Friends Book
James Newton's book, Uncommon Friends: Life with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel & Charles Lindbergh, with a foreword by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was published in 1987. A documentary movie "Uncommon Friends of the 20th Century" based on the book, narrated by Walter Cronkite, was broadcast on public television in 1999 and considered for an Academy Award. To honor Newton’s life, in 1993, the citizens of Southwest Florida launched the Uncommon Friends Foundation to capture the “spirit of adventure, a sense of purpose and a commitment to positive values and unending personal growth” of the Uncommon Friends and to “inspire future leaders toward excellence of character, a spirit of innovation, and a sense of purpose.” The Uncommon Friends Foundation maintains offices and an Uncommon Friends museum in the historic Burroughs House of Fort Myers, Florida, USA. In 2016 Florida Gulf Coast University partnered with the Uncommon Friends Foundation to establish a digital archive of the Newton letters, photographs and memorabilia, the “Uncommon Friends Collection.”[1]
Eleanor and James Newton received many awards for their contributions to community improvement projects, including the Edison and Ford estates' museum restorations. Their home on a beachfront named "Seven Seas" is now Newton Park in Fort Myers Beach. The Seven Seas served as a primary focus of Jim and Ellie's lives, as they lived, worked, and entertained there. Through their involvement in the MRA, internationally prominent individuals visited Seven Seas, including British tennis player "Bunny" Austin; Cardinal Konig; Frits Phillips, former chairman of the Philips electronics company; King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania, among others.
In 1993, friends of Newton founded the Uncommon Friends Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to foster character, integrity, and ethics throughout the region. The Uncommon Friends Foundation offers a curriculum for K–12 schools, extends ethics-enhancing services to regional organizations, and provides scholarships to students for institutions ranging from welding school to universities.[2]
References
- ↑ "The Uncommon Friends Foundation".
- ↑ "Newton, James D. (James Draper), 1905-1999 - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
External links
- Newton Ethical Leadership Initiative (NELI)
- Uncommon Friends Foundation
- Uncommon Friends of the 20th Century at IMDb
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