J. William Fulbright, a Senator for Whom Education Was More Important Than Anything Else

(Patria) - More than 70 years ago, in 1946, Senator William Fulbright established a special program through which the US government helps study and research abroad, writes Patria. 

Fulbright was of the opinion that international student exchange is a good way to improve understanding between countries, and that future world leaders could be educated through this program.

Senator Fulbright was convinced that living and studying in a foreign country helps in understanding different ideas and ways of life, and also helps in better understanding one's own country.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of students, professors, and scientists have gone through the Fulbright program. Some of them later indeed became influential leaders in the world, such as former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. 

Americans involved in the Fulbright program study or teach abroad, while those from other countries come to the United States. The scholarship received by the beneficiaries of this program is sufficient to cover living, travel, and education costs, and the program is funded by the United States, governments of other countries, as well as private organizations.

US President Harry S. Truman signed the Fulbright Program on August 1, 1946, in the Oval Office of the White House. Behind President Truman are Senator James William Fulbright (left) and an unidentified man

When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, numerous students and professors have been or still are beneficiaries of the Fulbright program, while the program currently provides about 800 teaching or research grants of various durations.

William Fulbright was born on April 9, 1905, in the town of Sumner, Missouri. He studied political science at the University of Arkansas, where he graduated in 1925. He then attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, where he received a master's degree.

Upon returning to the United States, Fulbright continued his education. He studied law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. During 1930, he served in the Department of Justice and taught at the George Washington University Law School. He returned to Arkansas in 1936, where he taught law from 1939 to 1941 and served as President of the University of Arkansas – at the time, the youngest university president in the country.

He entered politics in 1942, and in January 1943, he was elected to the US House of Representatives, where he became a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In September of the same year, the House adopted Fulbright's resolution supporting international actions to preserve peace in the world, encouraging the participation of the United States in the future United Nations, which brought Fulbright national attention.

In November 1944, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he served from 1945 to 1974, becoming one of its most influential and renowned members. His legislative proposals, which established the Fulbright program for student and scholar exchanges, passed the Senate in 1946 without debate. The first program participants crossed the ocean in 1948, funded by war reparations and loan repayments that the United States had made to other countries. This program had a tremendous impact worldwide. 

William Fulbright passed away on February 9, 1995, at the age of 89, at his home in Washington.