Fulbright, J. William (1905-1995), an Arkansas Democrat, served in the United States Senate from 1945 to 1974. He was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1959 to 1974. Fulbright became a leading critic of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1957-1975). During the 1960’s and early 1970’s, Fulbright was a spokesman for those who wanted Congress to have more control over presidential warmaking powers. He sponsored the Fulbright Act of 1946, which provides funds for the exchange of students between the United States and other countries (see Fulbright scholarship ).
James William Fulbright was born in Sumner, Missouri, on April 9, 1905. His family moved to Arkansas the following year. Fulbright entered the University of Arkansas at the age of 16. He graduated from the university in 1925. From 1925 to 1928, he studied at Oxford University in England as a Rhodes scholar. He received a degree from the George Washington University Law School in 1934. Fulbright served as president of the University of Arkansas from 1939 to 1941 and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1942. He criticized U.S. foreign policy in his books, including Old Myths and New Realities (1964) and The Arrogance of Power (1967). He died on Feb. 9, 1995.
