Ira Glasser | |
|---|---|
 Glasser receiving the Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace award in 2015 | |
| Executive Director of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union | |
| In office 1978–2001 | |
| President | Norman Dorsen Nadine Strossen |
| Preceded by | Aryeh Neier |
| Succeeded by | Anthony D. Romero |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-04-18)April 18, 1938 (age 87) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Queens College (BS) Ohio State University (MS) New School |
Ira Saul Glasser (born April 18, 1938) is an Americancivil liberties activist who served as the fifth executive director of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from 1978 to 2001. His life is the subject of the 2020 documentaryMighty Ira.[1]
Ira Glasser was born on April 18, 1938, atBrooklyn Jewish Hospital inBrooklyn, New York.[2] He earned a graduate degree in mathematics fromOhio State University.
In the early 1960s, Glasser taught mathematics atQueens College (CUNY) andSarah Lawrence College. From 1963 to 1967, he was the editor ofCurrent magazine. In 1967, Glasser joined theNew York Civil Liberties Union as associate director. In 1970 he became the NYCLU's executive director, in which capacity he served until he became the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1978.
The ACLU website credits Glasser with transforming theAmerican Civil Liberties Union "from a 'mom and pop'-style operation concentrated mainly in a few large cities to a nationwide civil liberties powerhouse."[3] At the end of Glasser's directorship the ACLU maintained staffed offices in all 50 states, theDistrict of Columbia, andPuerto Rico; when he became director in 1978, only about half of the states had staffed offices. Glasser raised the ACLU's annual income from $4 million in 1978 to $45 million in 1999.
Although the ACLU had protected civil liberties generally throughlitigation, Glasser expanded the focus of the ACLU's activities throughlobbying and public education programs.[4]
Glasser retired in 2001; he was succeeded as executive director of the ACLU byAnthony D. Romero.
In his retired life, Glasser serves as the president of the board of directors of theDrug Policy Alliance.
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