Spira, Henry, 1927-

Henry Spira (born Henri Spira, June 19, 1927–September 12, 1998), was a left-wing activist in the National Maritime Union from 1945-1952, when he was blacklisted, with many others, by the U.S. government from the merchant marine for his political views.

Animal rights advocate and political activist.

Henry Spira was born in Belgium, and eventually emigrated to the United States. He graduated from Brooklyn College and taught in public schools from 1966 until 1982. After he retired from teaching, Spira dedicated himself to animal rights. In the 1970s, Spira founded Animal Rights International, and convinced major manufacturing companies to discontinue animal testing. He also worked on bettering the treatment of animals intended for human consumption, and founded the International Coalition for Farm Animals. Several biographies have been written about Spira, including Peter Singer's "Ethics in action: Henry Spira and the animal rights movement."