Charles Bayard Lister (July 4, 1898 – May 14, 1951) was an American firearms expert who was an officer of the National Rifle Association of America from 1926 to 1951.

Early life

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Lister was born on July 4, 1898, in Wilmington, Delaware to James W. and Florence (Carson) Lister.[1] He became involved in sports shooting while a member of the Boy Scouts of America.[2] After graduating from Wilmington High School, he worked under Kellogg Casey in the sales and promotions department of DuPont.[2][3] In 1917, Lister joined the United States Army and remained there until the end of World War I.[2] On October 22, 1919, he married Lynette Harper.[2] They had one daughter.[4]

National Rifle Association

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In 1921, Lister moved to Washington D.C. to become the advertising and promotion manager of the National Rifle Association.[1] He recommended expanding NRA membership outside the United States Armed Forces and state militias and under his leadership, membership grew from 3,500 in 1921 to over 10,000 in 1925.[2]

In 1926, he became the organization's secretary–treasurer and led a drive that increased membership to 350,000 by 1945.[5] He also served as editor of the NRA's monthly magazine, the American Rifleman, was a contributor to the Encyclopædia Britannica, and edited the sections on rifles and marksmanship in Webster's International Dictionary.[5] He was a leader in the fight against laws restricting firearm ownership, but did support some gun control measurers, including the National Firearms Act and the Federal Firearms Act of 1938.[6]

Due to a prior bout of tuberculosis, Lister was rejected for active military service during World War II.[4] He instead served as the national coordinator of rifle shooting in the Office of Civilian Defense.[2] He also helped draft the first manual on home guard organization.[7]

In 1949, Lister succeeded the retiring Milton Reckord as executive director of the NRA.[4] He died of brain cancer on May 14, 1951, at the Washington Sanitarium.[5][4] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[4]

Following his death, a memorial trophy was presented. Since 1952 it has been awarded for the National Indoor Sectional-National Smallbore Rifle Champion.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b Who's who Among Association Executives. New York: Institute for Research in Biography. 1935. p. 324. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "All About Charles Bayard Lister". NRA Sports Shooting USA. National Rifle Association of America. August 4, 2020. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Marksmen In Big Shoot Today". The Sunday Morning Star. October 20, 1935. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e "C.B. Lister dies". American Rifleman. June 1951. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Charles B. Lister, Firearms Expert". The New York Times. May 16, 1951.
  6. ^ Grinnan, Ira (June 6, 1951). "The Outdoorsman". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Modern Minute Men Urged To Guard Against Red Sabotage". Reading Eagle. October 21, 1949. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  8. ^ "C.B. Lister Memorial Trophy" (PDF). NRA Competitions. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.