Emil Hurja
Emil Edward Hurja (22 January 1892 - 30 May 1953) was an American newspaper editor and political consultant. Hurja was a pioneer of political opinion polling and played an advisory role during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.[1][2][3]
Biography[]
Hurja was born in Crystal Falls, Michigan. He was one of twelve children born to Matt Hurja (originally Pitkäkangas) (1863-1931) and Anna Liisa (née Keisari) Hurja (1870-1940), both of whom were immigrants from Finland to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 1917, he received his A. B. at the University of Washington. He served as a Captain in the United States Army during World War I. He worked as the newspaper editor for the Breckenridge Daily American (1921-1926) in Breckenridge, Texas.[4] He was editor of the Pathfinder magazine (1939-1945).[5]
Hurja was executive director of the Democratic National Committee (1932-1937) under the direction of Democratic National Committee Chairman James Farley. He also provided poll analysis for the Democratic Party during elections held during 1932, 1934 and 1936. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Michigan and appeared on the cover of Time in March 1936. He was a candidate in the Republican primary for the House of Representative from the 12th District of the State of Michigan (1946-1948).[6][7][8]
In 1919, he married Gudrun Andersen. He died in Washington, D.C. and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[9]
Honors[]
He was awarded both the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav.[10]
References[]
- ^ Robert M. Eisinger and Jeremy Brown (January 1998). "Polling As A Means Toward Presidential Autonomy: Emil Hurja, Hadley Cantril And The Roosevelt Administration". International Journal of Public Opinion Research. International Journal of Public Opinion Research Volume 10, issue 3, pages 237-256. 10 (3): 237–256. doi:10.1093/ijpor/10.3.237. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ David Greenberg. "FDR's Nate Silver". Politico Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ "1932: Emil Hurja becomes the first political consultant to analyze polls for a presidential campaign". Miller Center of the University of Virginia. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "About us". Breckenridge American. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ "Emil Hurja (1892-1953)". Scandinavian Ancestry Politicians. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Burton W. Folsom (July 1, 2002). "The Crystal Gazer from Crystal Falls". mackinac.org. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Time Magazine cover. March 2, 1936
- ^ "Emil Hurja 1912-1952" (PDF). F D R Library, Accession Number: 59-20. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ Emil Hurja, Captain, United States Army(Arlington National Cemetery)
- ^ Hurja, Emil (1892–1953) Collection Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
Other sources[]
- Holli, Melvin G. (2002) The Wizard of Washington: Emil Hurja, Franklin Roosevelt, and the Birth of Public Opinion Polling (Palgrave Macmillan) ISBN 978-0312293956
Related reading[]
- Sabato, Larry J. (1981) The Rise of Political Consultants (New York: Basic Books) ISBN 978-0465070398
- Johnston, Alva, "Prof." Hurja, The New Deal's Political Doctor, The Saturday Evening Post (June 13, 1936)
External links[]
- Greenberg, David (16 January 2016). "FDR's Nate Silver". Politico. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- Kostiainen, Auvo (September 6, 2001). "Hurja, Emil (1892-1953)". Biografiakeskus Finnish Historical Society. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
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| General | |
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- 1892 births
- 1953 deaths
- People from Crystal Falls, Michigan
- University of Washington alumni
- American political consultants
- American newspaper editors
- Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal
- American people of Finnish descent
- United States Army personnel of World War I
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- People from Breckenridge, Texas