List of elected socialist mayors in the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U.S. towns electing Socialist
mayors or major officers,
1911–1920
Year No. Year No.
1911 74 1912 8
1913 32 1914 5
1915 22 1916 6
1917 18 1918 2
1919 5 1920 2
Source: James Weinstein, 1967 [1]

The following is a list of mayors who have declared themselves to be socialists or have been a member of a socialist party in the United States.

In 1911 it was estimated that there were twenty-eight such mayors[2] and in 1913 thirty-four.[3] In 1967, however, James Weinstein's table of "Cities and Towns Electing Socialist Mayors or Other Major Municipal Officers, 1911–1920" counted 74 such municipalities in 1911 and 32 in 1913, with smaller peaks in 1915 (22) and 1917 (18).[1]

List of mayors[]

  Denotes incumbent

Mayor Term
start 		Term
end 		City State   Party Ref
1905 Red Lodge Montana Socialist Party of America [4][5]
[I] 1920 1922 Davenport Iowa Socialist Party of America [6]
1976 1987 University Heights Iowa Socialist Party of America [7]
1911 1915 Victor Colorado Socialist Party of America [8]
[II] 1933 1953 Rockford Illinois Rockford Progressive Party [9][10]
1903 Sheboygan Wisconsin Socialist Party of America [11][12]
1914 1915 Edgewater Colorado Socialist Party of America [8]
John C. Chase 1898
1899 		1899
1900 		Haverhill Massachusetts Social Democratic Party /
Socialist Party of America 		[13][14]
1918 1921 Eureka Utah Socialist Party of America [15]
Peter Clavelle[III] 1989
1995 		1993
2006 		Burlington Vermont Vermont Progressive Party
1911 Edmonds Washington Socialist Party of America [16]
[IV] 1900 1901 Brockton Massachusetts Social Democratic Party /
Socialist Party of America 		[17][14]
1913 1914 Naugatuck Connecticut Socialist Party of America [8]
Ron Dellums 2007 2011 Oakland California Democratic Party (DSA member) [18]
David Dinkins 1990 1993 New York City New York Democratic Party (DSA member) [19]
1911 1913 Gulfport Florida Socialist Party of America [20]
[V] 1911 1914 (October) Butte Montana Socialist Party of America [21][22]
1915 1919 Eureka California Socialist Party of America [8]
1903
1920 		1904?
1923 		Haverhill Massachusetts Socialist Party of America [23][24]
1912 Ohio Socialist Party of America [25]
1911 Red Cloud Nebraska Socialist Party of America [26]
1903 Anaconda Montana Socialist Party of America [27]
1922 Rahway New Jersey Socialist Party of America [28]
Irving Freese 1947 1951 Norwalk Connecticut Socialist Party of America [29][30]
1919 (November) Lackawanna New York Socialist Party of America [31]
Robert Gordon 1916 1917 Barre Vermont Socialist Party of America [32]
1911   Beatrice Nebraska Socialist Party of America [21]
1912 1916 Paonia Colorado Socialist Party of America [8]
1911 Two Harbors Minnesota Socialist Party of America [33]
[VI] 1921
1929 		1927
1933 		Rockford Illinois Rockford Labor Legion
Independent 		[10]
1918 Piqua Ohio Socialist Party of America [34]
1911 Girard Kansas Socialist Party of America [21]
Daniel Webster Hoan 1916 1940 Milwaukee Wisconsin Socialist Party of America
1912 1915 Murray Utah Socialist Party of America [35][36]
J.F. Johnston 1912 (September) 1914 Fairhope Alabama Socialist Party of America [37][38]
1911 Granite City Illinois Socialist Party of America [39]
Bob Kiss 2006 2012 Burlington Vermont Vermont Progressive Party
1912 1913 Crookston Minnesota Socialist Party of America [40]
1911 Marinette Wisconsin Socialist Party of America [21]
1906 1907 Cedar City Utah Socialist Party of America [41]
Arthur LeSueur 1910 1911 Minot North Dakota Socialist Party of America [42]
1916 West Allis Wisconsin Socialist Party of America [43]
1914 1916 Lake Worth Florida Socialist Party of America [20]
Chokwe Lumumba[VII] 2013 2014 Jackson Mississippi Democratic Party
Chokwe Antar Lumumba 2017 present Jackson Mississippi Democratic Party [44]
George R. Lunn 1911
1915 		1913
1917 		Schenectady New York Socialist Party of America [45]
1911 Wymore Nebraska Socialist Party of America [21]
Jasper McLevy 1933 1957 Bridgeport Connecticut Socialist Party of America
John A. C. Menton 1911 1912 (April) Flint Michigan Socialist Party of America [46][21]
1908 Eureka Utah Socialist Party of America [47]
1911 1915 Toronto Ohio Socialist Party of America
1909 1910 Brainerd Minnesota Socialist Party of America [48]
1912 Lorain Ohio Socialist Party of America [25]
1912 1913 Mount Vernon Ohio Socialist Party of America [25]
1911 1913 Mineral Ridge Ohio Socialist Party of America
Bernie Sanders[VIII] 1981 1989 Burlington Vermont Independent
1915 Adamston West Virginia Socialist Party of America
Emil Seidel 1910 (April 6) 1912 Milwaukee Wisconsin Socialist Party of America [49]
1911 1917 Star City West Virginia Socialist Party of America
1912 Lima Ohio Socialist Party of America [25]
1912 (April 3) 1914 (April) Hartford Arkansas Socialist Party of America [50][51]
1911 Manitowoc Wisconsin Socialist Party of America [21]
1916 1917 Two Harbors Minnesota Socialist Party of America [52]
J. Henry Stump 1927
1935
1943 		1931
1939
1947 		Reading Pennsylvania Socialist Party of America
1931 (April) 1932 (April) Racine Wisconsin Socialist Party of America [53][54]
Fred W. Suitor 1929 1931 Barre Vermont Socialist Party of America [32]
1911 Greenville Michigan Socialist Party of America [55]
William Thum 1911 1913 Pasadena California Socialist Party of America [21][8]
1909 1914 Grand Junction Colorado Socialist Party of America [8]
1912 1915 New Castle Pennsylvania Socialist Party of America [56]
1912 1913 Cedar City Utah Socialist Party of America [41]
Thomas Van Lear[X] 1917 1919 Minneapolis Minnesota [57]
1914 1915 St. Johns Oregon Socialist Party of America [58]
1912 Harbor Springs Michigan Socialist Party of America [59]
Brand Whitlock 1906 1912 Toledo Ohio Socialist Party of America [60]
1912 1913 St. Marys Ohio Socialist Party of America [61]
Jackson Stitt Wilson 1911 1913 Berkeley California Socialist Party of America [21]
1911 1913 Coeur d'Alène Idaho Socialist Party of America [62]
1913 1914 Lafayette Colorado Socialist Party of America [8]
1910 (April) 1912? Ledford Illinois Socialist Party of America [63]
Frank P. Zeidler 1948 1960 Milwaukee Wisconsin Socialist Party of America

Notes[]

  • I^ Barewald resigned from the Socialist Party during the first week of January 1921 and captured national headlines by declaring radicals "insane" and instructing local police to greet unwanted members of the Industrial Workers of the World with "hot lead." See: "Wants Town Rid of IWW: Mayor Barewald Advises Use of Riot Guns," Eugene Morning Register, Jan. 9, 1921, pg. 1.
  • II^ Ran for the Rockford Progressive Party, which was formed by dissidents of the Rockford Labor Party in 1929.[64][10]
  • III^ Clavelle became a member of the Democratic Party in 2004.
  • IV^ Chase and Coulter were both elected mayor for the Social Democratic Party, but the party later merged itself with a dissident faction of the Socialist Labor Party in 1901 and founded the Socialist Party of America.[65]
  • V^ His name is alternatively spelled Lewis J. Duncan.[66][67]
  • VI^ Was running for the Rockford Labor Legion from 1921–1927, in 1929 the Labor Party refused to nominate him on the grounds that he had moved from some of the party's principles. He ran as an independent from 1929-33.[10]
    • The was a coalition of local trade unions, socialist organizations and temperance societies.[10]
  • VII^ Lumumba was self-described as a socialist.[68]
  • VIII^ Sanders has declared himself to be a democratic socialist.[69]
  • IX^ Van Lear was expelled from the Socialist Party in 1918

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Weinstein, James (1967). The Decline of Socialism in America 1912–1925. New York: Monthly Review Press, reprinted in 1969 by Vintage Books (Random House), Table 2: "Cities and Towns Electing Socialist Mayors or Other Major Municipal Officers, 1911–1920", pp. 116–118.
  2. ^ Hoxie, Robert F. (October 1911). ""The Rising Tide of Socialism": A Study". The Journal of Political Economy. 19 (8): 609–631. doi:10.1086/251906. JSTOR 1819423. S2CID 153532544.
  3. ^ Ghent, W.J., ed. (1916). Socialism and Government: Working Programs and Records of Socialists in Office. Girard, KS: Appeal to Reason. pp. 46. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Deadly Assault on Socialist Mayor," Chicago Daily Socialist, Dec. 17, 1906, pg. 3.
  5. ^ Ross 2015, p. 619.
  6. ^ "Socialists Elected," San Bernardino County Sun, April 4, 1920, pg. 3.
  7. ^ Belgum, David Rudolph (1990). Memoirs of Iowa's Only Socialist Mayor. Iowa City: Rose of Sharon Publishing House.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Ross, The Socialist Party of America, pg. 610.
  9. ^ Hal Nelson 1968, pp. 102.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Bengston 1999, pp. 209.
  11. ^ "Socialist Mayor Assumes Office: The Inauguration of Mayor Born at Sheboygan Marks the First Municipal Victory for Socialism in Wisconsin," Social Democratic Herald [Milwaukee], April 25, 1903, pg. 1.
  12. ^ Expelled by State Executive Board of the Social Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Jan. 16, 1904, for approving a private concession for a city trolley line. See: "The Expulsion of Mayor Born," Social Democratic Herald, Jan. 23, 1904, pg.5.
  13. ^ Bedford 1966, pg. 90.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Bedford 1966, pg. 117.
  15. ^ John S. McCormick and John R. Sillito, A History of Utah Radicalism: Startling, Socialistic, and Decidedly Revolutionary. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 2011; pg. 192.
  16. ^ "Edmonds and Its Socialist Mayor," The Coming Nation, whole no. 34 (May 6, 1911), p. 5.
  17. ^ Won election in November 1899 by a plurality of 1,564. See: Appeal to Reason, Dec. 16, 1899, pg. 4.
  18. ^ https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/07/ron-dellums-democratic-socialist-interview-death
  19. ^ https://www.dsausa.org/democratic-left/remembering-david-dinkins/
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Ross, The Socialist Party of America, pg. 612.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "The Socialist Avalanche," Political Action [Milwaukee], whole no. 39 (April 15, 1911), pg. 1.
  22. ^ "Butte Mayor and Sheriff Ousted". Herald Journal. October 7, 1914. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  23. ^ Arrington 1922, pp. 487.
  24. ^ "Address of a Socialist Mayor," American Labor Union Journal, vol. 1, no. 26 (April 2, 1903), pg. 2
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "1,000 Socialists Now in Office," Chicago Daily Socialist, vol. 6, no. 33 (Dec. 2, 1911), p. 1.
  26. ^ Political Action [Milwaukee], whole no. 39 (April 15, 1911), pg. 1.
  27. ^ Peter Buckingham, "Red Tom" Hickey: The Uncrowned King of Texas Socialism. College Station, TX: Texas A&M Press, 2020; p. 153
  28. ^ "A Socialist Mayor: New Jersey Socialists Carry Rahway," The New Age (Buffalo), June 1, 1922, pg. 5.
  29. ^ "Socialists Sweep Norwalk Election; Party's Candidates for Mayor, Sheriff, Treasurer, and 11 for City Council Win". The New York Times. October 7, 1947. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  30. ^ "Freese Quits Socialists In Norwalk: Mayor Heads Party of Independents for November Election," Hartford Courant, August 14, 1951. Freese ran again for office as an independent, winning additional two year terms in 1951, 1953, and 1957. See: Ross, The Socialist Party of America, pg. 612.
  31. ^ "Elect Socialist Mayor" (PDF). The New York Times. November 5, 1919. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Fry, Amy Lyons (2003). "Socialist Mayors". In John J. Duffy; Samuel B. Hand; Ralph H. Orth (eds.). The Vermont Encyclopedia. University of Vermont Press. p. 274.
  33. ^ "Socialists Elect Mayor of Two Harbors, Minn.," Chicago Daily Socialist, vol. 5, no. 126 (March 23, 1911), p. 1.
  34. ^ "Socialist Mayor Frank B. Hamilton" was embroiled in a federal sedition case late in 1918. See: Ohio Socialist, whole no. 49 (Jan. 1, 1919), pp. 1, 4. He was elected in Nov. 1917, according to "Frank B. Hamilton," Archived 2014-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Miami County Genealogical Researchers, http://www.thetroyhistoricalsociety.org/
  35. ^ Ann Arbor Call, whole no. 91 (August 17, 1912), pg. 2.
  36. ^ Elected to two terms, 1911 and 1913. See: John S. McCormick and John R. Sillito, A History of Utah Radicalism, pg. 201.
  37. ^ Ross, The Socialist Party of America, pg. 609.
  38. ^ "Socialist Mayor Chosen" (PDF). The New York Times. September 18, 1912. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  39. ^ Oscar Leonard, "From Mill Hand to Mayor," The Coming Nation, whole no. 37 (April 23, 1911), p. 14.
  40. ^ "Elections Bring Victory!!" Social Democratic Herald [Milwaukee], vo. 14, no. 28, whole no. 693 (Nov. 11, 1911), p. 1.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b John S. McCormick and John R. Sillito, A History of Utah Radicalism, pg. 189.
  42. ^ LeSueur was elected on a ballot which did not list party affiliation but he was a veteran Socialist nominated to run by Local Grand Forks. See: Mila Tupper Maynard, "A Socialist Mayor and an Almost Mayor," Social-Democratic Herald [Milwaukee], vol. 13, no. 35, whole no. 648 (Dec. 31, 1910), pg. 2.
  43. ^ Love was elected by a margin of 164 votes in the April 1916 election. "About the Milwaukee Election: Socialists Elect Mayor and Two Socialist Aldermen in West Allis," St. Louis Labor, whole no. 794 (April 22, 1916), pg. 8.
  44. ^ Gilbert, Katie (September 5, 2017). "The Socialist Experiment". Oxford American. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  45. ^ "Democrats Fail in Hunt for Candidate" (PDF). The New York Times. July 6, 1918. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  46. ^ "Socialst Mayor Defeated" (PDF). The New York Times. April 2, 1912. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  47. ^ John S. McCormick and John R. Sillito, A History of Utah Radicalism, pg. 190.
  48. ^ "Brainerd, Minn., Elects Socialist Mayor," St. Louis Labor, vol. 6, whole no. 429 (April 24, 1909), pg. 5.
  49. ^ "Socialst Mayor for Milwaukee" (PDF). The New York Times. April 6, 1910. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  50. ^ "Socialist Mayor Defeated". The Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1914. Retrieved February 5, 2010. (pay-fee for article)
  51. ^ "Arkansas Socialist Mayor" (PDF). The New York Times. April 4, 1912. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  52. ^ Bengston 1999, pp. 182.
  53. ^ "Socialst Mayor Resigns from Party". Reading Eagle. April 9, 1932. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  54. ^ "'Fruits of Victory' Suit Fruit-Selling Mayor-Elect". Milwaukee Sentinel. April 9, 1931. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  55. ^ "Socialists in Greenville," The Coming Nation, whole no. 35 (May 13, 1911), p. 11.
  56. ^ http://newcastlepa.org/History/Mayors/Mayors/mayors_13.html
  57. ^ "Socialist Mayor Talks for Hillquit" (PDF). The New York Times. November 5, 1917. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  58. ^ Michael Munk, "Socialist Party of Oregon," The Oregon Encyclopedia.
  59. ^ A.R. Pontius, "Victory in Michigan," Appeal to Reason, whole no. 851 (March 23, 1912), p. 3.
  60. ^ Won 4th term in Nov. 1911 according to "Elections Bring Victory!!" Social Democratic Herald [Milwaukee], vo. 14, no. 28, whole no. 693 (Nov. 11, 1911), p. 1.
  61. ^ "Comrades Who Will Control the City Government of St. Marys Ohio for the Next Two Years," International Socialist Review, vol. 12, no. 6 (Dec. 1911), pp. 376-378.
  62. ^ French 1914, pp. 917.
  63. ^ "Elect Mayor as Socialist," Chicago Daily Socialist, vol. 4, no. 156 (April 27, 1910), pg. 4.
  64. ^ Nelson 1968, pp. 102.
  65. ^ Bedford 1966, pp. 122.
  66. ^ "One Man is Killed in Rioting and Million Damage". The New York Times. June 24, 1914. Retrieved February 5, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  67. ^ "Butte Mayor is Stabbed by Miner". The New York Times. July 6, 1914. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  68. ^ Sunkara, Bhaskar (2014-06-01). "Free the Land: An Interview with Chokwe Lumumba". Jacobin. Retrieved 2017-04-09. But he was quick to portray his movement as an inclusive socialist one.
  69. ^ Lerer, Lisa (2009-07-16). "Where's the outrage over AIG bonuses?". The Politico. Retrieved 2009-08-04. Only a handful of members, including self-described democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), criticized Goldman’s payments and questioned whether the company also received additional government assistance through the Federal Reserve.

Bibliography[]

  • Benjamin F. Arrington, Municipal History of Essex County in Massachusetts. Chicago: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1922; pg. 976.
  • Henry F. Bedford, Socialism and the Workers in Massachusetts, 1886-1912. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1966.
  • Henry Bengston, On the Left in America: Memoirs of the Scandinavian-American Labor Movement. SIU Press, 1999; pg. 237.
  • Hiram Taylor French, History of Idaho: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests. New York: New York Public Library, 1914; pg. 976.
  • C. Hal Nelson, Sinnissippi Saga: A History of Rockford and Winnebago County, Illinois. Winnebago County Illinois Sesquicentennial Committee, 1968; pg. 536.
  • Jack Ross, "Socialist Elected Officeholders, 1897-1960." The Socialist Party of America: A Complete History. Lincoln, NE: Potomac Books, 2015; pp. 609–638.
  • James Weinstein, The Decline of Socialism in America 1912–1925. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1967; pp. 116–118.

External links[]

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