James M. Lawson, Jr. (1928- ) is a Methodist minister, activist and academic. During the escalation of the Korean Conflict, he declared himself a conscientious objector and refused to report for the draft in 1951. He served fourteen months in prison after refusing to take either a student or ministerial deferment. After his sentence was completed he left for India to study the principles of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Gandhi.