Blakely, Paul Lendrum
BLAKELY, PAUL LENDRUM
Jesuit, editorial writer; b. Covington, Kentucky, Feb. 29, 1880; d. New York City, Feb. 26, 1943. Blakely's parents were Laurie John Blakely, a Confederate officer, and Lily (Hudson Lendrum) Blakely. He was tutored at home until the age of 11, and later he attended St. Xavier College, Cincinnati, Ohio. He entered the Jesuit novitiate at Florissant, Missouri, on July 30, 1897 and was ordained on June 27, 1912.
In 1914 he joined the editorial staff of America, a weekly review published by the Jesuits. For many years, under three editors-in-chief, Blakely was the principal editorial writer of the review. It has been estimated that he wrote more than 1,100 signed articles and 3,000 short unsigned pieces on the subjects of education, American history, the Federal Constitution, and social problems.
In the 1920s he opposed the creation of a federal department of education (Smith-Towner Bill) and defended the rights of parents in education. His editorials formed part of the background for the U.S. Supreme Court's 1925 decision in the Oregon School Case. Blakely, guided by the encyclicals of Leo XIII, fought against the abuses of capitalism and for the right of labor to organize. In his later years, he became a critic of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. His firm belief in states' rights was the basis of much of his writing.
[t. n. davis]