Alumni Feature: Josh and Caroline Craddock

Josh (PPE ’13) and Caroline (PPE ’14) Craddock advocate for life, family, and the freedom to serve God and others.

At first glance, Josh and Caroline Craddock might not seem like your typical power couple, but it would be a mistake to underestimate this pair. From spurring conversations about religious liberty at Harvard Law School to advocating at the United Nations for persecuted Christians, the Craddocks are serious about weaving their faith into their work.

Both natives of Colorado, the Craddocks are high-school sweethearts who bucked the societal narrative of success early by getting married just after Josh graduated from college, and having their first child, Winston, while Caroline was still in school. Now, Josh is in his second year at Harvard Law School, where he serves as the Debate Chair for the Harvard Federalist Society and the Editor-in-Chief for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Caroline works as the English Language Campaign Director for CitizenGO, a non-profit that advocates for life, family, and freedom at institutes of global governance like the United Nations.

Contrary to the widespread belief that marriage and family hold people back from reaching their full potential, Josh and Caroline have found that their counter-cultural decision to get married young and have kids early has only fueled their passion—and enhanced their ability—to influence society for Christ in big ways. Their lived-out commitment to life and family motivates them to work to lead others to see the beauty in those values.

Josh has found that not only did his studies in PPE give him a foundation in the classical Western tradition, but the three core subjects all contribute in practical ways to his chosen career. For example, he says, “Philosophy trains students to make fine-grained distinctions, and economic training is surprisingly useful when thinking about efficient outcomes in contracts.” He has been able to apply those skills to more than just his studies: besides serving as Debate Chair for the Federalist Society and Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, in the summer of 2016 Josh was able to intern at Bancroft PLLC, a boutique D.C. litigation firm that’s on the top ten list for being granted cert on cases they appeal to the Supreme Court.

Caroline agrees that her King’s education prepared her well for her career. CitizenGO is a global online advocacy platform that coordinates the efforts of over 6 million members in 190 countries to defend the values of life, family, and freedom. Caroline’s role there involves communicating to several different audiences about the importance of these values. She networks with other non-profit organizations, manages a team of campaigners in Europe, the U.S., and Australia, and publishes petitions and coordinating advocacy at the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the European Union (EU). She also organizes an annual event at the UN to raise awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world.

Caroline points specifically to how King’s prepared her to communicate effectively, an essential skill in her current position as she reaches out to numerous audiences on a regular basis. At King’s, she says, “I was taught to write both as an academic and as an advocate.” Besides these technical skills, Caroline found that at King’s she was immersed in a community—both in and out of the classroom—that taught her how to think critically about human rights and why values like life, family, and freedom are worth standing up to defend.

Both Josh and Caroline have impressive resumes, to be sure, but to simply list off their accomplishments without writing about their marriage and family is to risk missing the beautiful vision of life that motivates them. In 2015, Josh encapsulated that vision in an article for Stream.org about their counter-cultural choice to get married and start their family in their early twenties:

If I could tell my generation one thing about marriage, it would be that marriage is not just a platform for self-realization or romantic love. It’s a life-long commitment to the good of another. It’s also your project for the world: your greatest possible contribution to the future is likely your family, not your occupation.

The Craddocks’ vision of marriage is grounded in a recognition that life is a gift from God, a gift that’s meant to be given away freely for the good of others—an awareness that underscores the impressive work they are doing in the public square as well. When Caroline talks about her advocacy efforts at the UN, she is clear about where she believes success will come from: God, and only God. Josh is committed to carrying this same spirit of servanthood to his work in the legal field. He says, “I want my work in the legal profession to reflect God’s righteousness, justice, and mercy. Because of human nature there will always be legal disputes and conflicts, so being a peacemaker is one of the most important roles a lawyer can play.” Not just as lawyer and advocate, but as spouses, parents, and Christians, the Craddocks are hard at work reflecting God’s love and righteousness in every sphere of their lives.