Joseph Felmet
From the University of North Carolina:
Joseph Felmet was born in 1921 in Asheville, North Carolina....
Felmet's pacifism precluded military service in World War II. Obtaining a deferment, he was assigned to civil service duty. Believing that this assignment did not recognize his position as a conscientious objector to the war, he successfully petitioned for reclassification of his draft status. After being drafted, he refused to serve. Convicted of draft evasion, his sentence was suspended with the provision that Felmet work in a hospital for nine months....
Felmet's passion for civil rights led him to take part in the Journey for Reconciliation in 1947, an early attempt by civil rights advocates to test the Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in interstate travel. During this demonstration, Felmet was arrested for violating Orange County's segregation laws....
Felmet's application to take the North Carolina bar exam was rejected in 1948, the Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina believing that Felmet would not uphold the law in cases in which his moral convictions conflicted with the law. Felmet tried to rally support behind his appeal, but was unsuccessful.
In 1976, Felmet ran for Congress and was defeated. He attempted to mount a campaign for a Senate seat in 1976, but his unorthodox campaigning style made it difficult for him to obtain the funds and recognition required for a successful campaign.
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