All About Charles Bayard Lister

by
posted on August 4, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
all-about-cb-lister-1.jpg

It can be said, with little fear of contradiction, that if the NRA had a job that needed doing, at one time or another, C.B. Lister did it.

C.B. Lister was intimately involved with the shooting sports for most of his life, having begun as a Boy Scout, under the tutelage of National Guard Lieutenant T.G. Samworth, in Wilmington, DE. Lister's first job was with DuPont—the Wilmington-based maker of smokeless gun powder—where he worked with K.K.V. Casey and Samworth selling and promoting DuPont products.

From 1917 until the end of the first World War, Lister served in the United States Army. Then, in 1921 at Samworth's invitation (Samworth was, by then, an editor of Arms and The Man), he moved to Washington and joined the NRA headquarters staff. His first job was advertising and promotion manager. It was Lister who first suggested expanding NRA membership outside the regular military establishment and militia. Under Lister's management, membership rolls grew from 3,500 in 1921 to over 10,000 in 1925. When Maj. Gen. Milton Reckord became Executive Vice President in 1926, Lister moved up to Secretary.

As Secretary of the National Rifle Association of America, Lister lent his considerable skill to the establishment and operation of more than two decades of important NRA programs. For many years, he contributed the "NRA News and Events" pages to each month's edition of American Rifleman. Later the magazine's masthead carried him as "Editor." He was a leader in the fight to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans concerning ownership of firearms. He was a pioneer in the effort to promote safe and responsible hunting in the United States. As we became involved in World War II, C.B. Lister ran the NRA, earning letters of commendation for his, and the NRA's, efforts from President Truman, General Marshall, Admiral King and many others.

Lister's managerial and promotional activities extended outside the NRA. He was a member of the boards of both the Washington D.C. Boys Club and the Washington D.C. Criminal Justice Association. He was a member of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. And, directly allied with NRA efforts, Lister sat on the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and on the American Olympic Committee.

C.B. Lister died of cancer in May, 1951. He was 52.

Charles Bayard Lister | b. 1898 — d. 1951

Charles Bayard Lister
b. 1898 — d. 1951


See more: Col. Townsend Whelen: America's Top 20th Century Shooter (Arguably)

Latest

Mullers ARC July2025 1
Mullers ARC July2025 1

NRA Announces Dianna & Ryan Muller As Brand Ambassadors For America’s Rifle Challenge

NRA announces Dianna & Ryan Muller as brand ambassadors for America’s Rifle Challenge program, promoting AR-15 marksmanship, safety and training.

Eley’s New Trial Packs Let Competition Shooters Find Their Perfect Rimfire Match Ammo

Eley launches trial ammo packs to help shooters test and match precision .22 LR rounds to their firearms.

Ava Downs Captures Junior Olympic Trap Title On Home Turf

Hillsdale’s Ava Downs takes gold in women’s trap at the 2025 USA Shooting Junior Olympic Championships hosted at the Halter Center.

Brandon Powell Claims 8th Georgia State Sporting Clays Title

Brandon Powell wins his eighth Georgia State Sporting Clays Championship, continuing his dominance with multiple top finishes at the 2025 tournament.

Vincent Hancock Claims 30th ISSF Medal As Team USA Dominates 2025 Lonato World Cup

Team USA shines at 2025 ISSF Lonato World Cup with golds from Vincent Hancock and Sam Simonton, plus silver for Dania Vizzi.

Jon Shue Clinches Third Straight NRA National Precision Pistol Championship Title

Shue continues his dominant streak in bullseye pistol shooting after 2025 NRA National Precision Pistol Championship victory.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.