Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Madalyn Murray O'Hair, born on April 13, 1919, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a prominent American atheist activist known for her pivotal role in advocating for the separation of church and state. Her activism gained national attention in 1963 with the landmark Supreme Court case Murray v. Curlett, which resulted in the elimination of compulsory school prayers and Bible readings in public schools. O'Hair's advocacy stemmed from her personal experiences, particularly when her son faced mandatory religious activities in school. Throughout her life, she founded the American Atheist Center and actively campaigned against religious influences in government, including efforts to remove the phrase "In God we trust" from U.S. currency.
In addition to her legal battles, O'Hair wrote several books, hosted a radio series, and became a controversial figure in the discourse surrounding atheism and religious practices in America. Tragically, her life ended in violence in 1995 when she and two family members were kidnapped and murdered. O'Hair’s legacy remains influential, as she provided a voice for the atheist community and sparked ongoing discussions about religious expression in public life. Her story has been the subject of various media, including a Netflix documentary titled "The Most Hated Woman in America," released in 2017.
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
- Born: April 13, 1919
- Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Died: 1995
- Place of death: San Antonio, Texas
The self-proclaimed first lady of atheism, Madalyn Murray O’Hair was active in eliminating prayer and Bible studies from public schools.
Early Life
Madalyn Murray O’Hair, nee Mays, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 1919. She met William Murray while serving in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II (1939–45), and the couple had two sons. O’Hair credited her atheism to having found the Bible unbelievable when she read it through at the age of thirteen. She attended several colleges before receiving a bachelor’s degree from Ashland College in Ohio and a law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1953.
The 1960’s
In October, 1959, when William, her eldest son, objected to required participation in daily Bible reading and recital of the Lord’s Prayer at the Baltimore, Maryland, junior high school he attended, Murray wrote a letter requesting that he be excused from this observance. Eventually the school granted her request, but Murray said she was subjected to abuse, both verbal and physical. She filed suit in city court, asking that school prayer, which the case described as “sectarian opening exercises,” be eliminated from Baltimore’s public schools.
The case of Murray v. Curlett reached the United States Supreme Court, and on June 17, 1963, the Court ruled in Murray’s favor. The Court held that by requiring students to recite a prayer and read aloud from the Bible, the school violated the ban on the establishment of religion created by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Murray followed her victory by pursuing a total separation of church and state, focusing her efforts on eliminating the tax-exempt status for church property and on having the word “God” struck from the pledge of allegiance.
In 1965, after marrying Richard Franklin O’Hair, she founded the American Atheist Center and the Society of Separationists. She later began a weekly radio series and published a number of books defending atheism.
Later Life and Murder
O’Hair continued to espouse atheism and planned to sue to have the words “In God we trust” removed from U.S. currency. She denounced her son William when he became a Christian in 1980. In September 1995, O’Hair, along with her younger son Jon Garth and granddaughter Robin, whom she had formally adopted, were kidnapped from their home in Austin, Texas. It was subsequently reported that more than $627,000 had also disappeared from bank accounts belonging to two of the atheist societies O’Hair had founded. In late September 1995, the kidnappers murdered O'Hair, Jon, and Robin in San Antonio, Texas, and hid their bodies.
Authorities struggled to solve the case for years, but in 1999 arrested David Waters, a former employee of one of O'Hair's organizations, and an accomplice, Gary Karr. In 2001 Waters led authorities to where he and his accomplice hid the bodies of O'Hair and her family members, and was later convicted of the crime.
Impact
In the early 1960s, there were several court cases involving prayer in public schools, including School District of Abington Township v. Schempp. O’Hair’s case garnered public attention partly because of her aggressive personality and her continued attacks on practices that impressed her as uniting church with state. She provided a focal point for those on either side of the issue.
Additional Information
O’Hair published her account of the events that led to the lawsuit in An Atheist Epic in 1970; Lawrence Wright’s 1993 work, Saints and Sinners, takes a negative view of the famous atheist. A Netflix documentary about O'Hair, The Most Hated Woman in America, premiered in 2017.
Bibliography
Bradshaw, Kelsey. "The True Story Behind the San Antonio Kidnapping & Murder of 'The Most Hated Woman in America.'" My San Antonio, 24 Mar. 2017, www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/true-crime-SA-kidnapping-murder-Madalyn-OHair-11017782.php. Accessed 12 Sept. 2022.
Elder, Sean. "Why Madalyn Murray O'Hair Was the Most Hated Woman in America." Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2017, www.newsweek.com/madalyn-murray-ohair-most-hated-woman-america-netflix-atheism-biopic-574697. Accessed 12 Sept. 2022.
Neumann, Caryn E. "Madalyn Murray O'Hair." First Amendment Encyclopedia, www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1272/madalyn-murray-o-hair. Accessed 12 Sept. 2022.