Samuel Frederick Coffman (11 June 1872 - 28 June 1954) was a Canadian minister, writer and pacifist.
In 1918 he helped organize the Non-Resistant Relief Organization (NRRO), involving all
Amish,
Mennonite, and
Brethren-in-Christ groups then in Ontario.
Coffman represented these peace groups in lobbying the
Canadian government for exemption from
military service during
World War I. "He received a sympathetic hearing from many public officials largely because of his own judicious attitude and the general trust he put in the government."
Coffman assisted in obtaining releases for imprisoned Amish and Brethren in Christ members, and as a more permanent solution he later arranged that
conscientious objectors be given indefinite leaves of absence from active duty.
In the 1930s, Coffman helped to create the Conference of Historic
Peace Churches. Out of his peace conviction grew the belief that the peace churches should assist in the relief of wounds caused by war:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffman, Samuel
1872 births
1954 deaths
Canadian pacifists
Canadian anti-war activists
Nonviolence advocates