Chambers, Whittaker

Chambers, Whittaker, 1901-61, U.S. journalist and spy, b. Philadelphia. He joined the U.S. Communist party in 1925 and wrote for its newspaper before engaging (1935-38) in espionage for the USSR. He left the party in 1939 and began working for Time magazine. In 1948 he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, accusing Alger Hiss, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Dept. official, of being a Communist party member. Hiss sued for libel, and Chambers then accused him of having been part of an espionage ring. Chambers, now being promoted by Congressman Richard Nixon, led investigators to his Maryland farm, where he produced from a hollowed-out pumpkin State Dept. documents he alleged Hiss had given him. Hiss was indicted for perjury, and after two trials was found guilty (1950) and imprisoned. The case was extremely controversial, and both men were vehemently attacked and defended.

orig. Jay Vivian Chambers

(born April 1, 1901, Philadelphia—died July 9, 1961, near Westminster, Md., U.S.) U.S. journalist and principal figure in the Alger Hiss case. He joined the Communist Party in 1923 and worked at various times as an editor at New Masses, The Daily Worker, and Time magazine. In testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in August 1948, he named former State Department official Alger Hiss as a fellow member of a 1930s Communist spy ring. Hiss denied the charges and sued Chambers for slander. In the trials that followed, Chambers produced material he claimed Hiss had given him to pass along to Soviet agents. His autobiography, Witness, was published in 1952.

Learn more about Chambers, (David) Whittaker with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Chambers may refer to

• Chambers, Nebraska
• Chambers County, Alabama
• Chambers County, Texas
• Chambers Road, a major arterial road in Aurora, Colorado
• Chambers Dictionary of the English Language or its publishers
• Chambers of parliament
• Chambers (law), a judge's office where motions concerning procedure are heard, or rooms used by Barristers.
• Chambers (series), a BBC Radio 4 legal sitcom starring John Bird which later moved to television.

These people bear the name Chambers:

• Aidan Chambers, (born 1934), a children's author
• Bill Chambers, (born 1930), NCAA men's college basketball record holder for 51 rebounds in a single game
• Carlton Chambers (born 1975), Canadian sprint athlete
• Chris Chambers (born 1978), an American football player for the San Diego Chargers
• Dennis Chambers (born 1959), an American drummer
• Dennis Chambers (1788–1867), an American politician
• Diane Chambers, a fictional character on the U.S. television series Cheers
• Dorothea Chambers (1878–1960), a British-American female tennis player
• Dwain Chambers (born 1978), a British Sprinter
• Edmund Kerchever Chambers (1866–1954), an English literary critic and Shakespearean scholar
• Ephraim Chambers (c.1680–1740), an English writer and encyclopedist
• Ernie Chambers (born 1937), a Nebraska State Senator
• Ezekiel F. Chambers (1788–1867), an American jurist & politician
• Faune A. Chambers (born 1976), an American actress
• George Chambers (1803–1840), an English maritime painter
• George Chambers (1928–1997), former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
• Jack Chambers(1931–1978), a Canadian artist and filmmaker
• Jack Chambers (born 1938), a Canadian linguist
• Kasey Chambers (born 1976), an Australian country singer
• Kim Chambers (born 1974), an American pornographic actor
• Jason Chambers (born 1980), an American actor and a mixed martial arts fighter
• Justin Chambers (born 1970), an American model and actor
• Marilyn Chambers (born 1952), an American pornographic actor
• Oswald Chambers (1874–1917), an early twentieth century Scottish Protestant minister and teacher.
• Paul Chambers (1935–1969), a jazz bassist of the 1950s and 1960s
• Robert Chambers (1802–1871), a Scottish author and publisher
• Robert Chambers (killer) (born 1966), an American murderer, nicknamed the "Preppy Killer"
• Robert W. Chambers (1865–1933), an American artist and writer
• Sandra Chambers, an Italian singer
• Tom Chambers (born 1959), an American professional basketball player
• Wally Chambers (born 1951), an American professional football player
• Walter B. Chambers (1866-1945) famous New York City architect
• Whittaker Chambers (1901–1961), an American writer and editor best known for his testimony against Alger Hiss
• William Chambers (architect) (1723–1796), an 18th century Scottish architect
• William Chambers (publisher) (1800–1883), a Scottish publisher

External links

• Chambers Surname DNA Project

See also

• chamber