DeWitt Clair Baldwin, 94, a Methodist theologian whose crusades for peace and international understanding spanned half a century, died March 16 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md. Mr. Baldwin was a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., and Northwestern University’s Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston. He was the pastor of several churches in Chicago before becoming a missionary to Burma in 1923. In 1936, Mr. Baldwin and his wife, Edna, founded and directed the Lisle Fellowship in New York, which promoted their goals of advancing racial, ethnic and international awareness. In 1969, Mr. Baldwin headed a committee to establish a U.S. Department of Peace, which would have been headed by a Cabinet-level director. The program eventually led to the formation of the U.S. Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution, based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Baldwin is survived by a son, Dr. DeWitt C. Baldwin Jr.; a sister, Virginia Kinney; and two granddaughters. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on April 25 at Rockville United Church in Rockville, Md.
