Harry DeBoer (1903–1992) was an American labor militant and

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...

. He was born in

Crookston, Minnesota Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Polk County. The population was 7,482 at the 2020 census. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks". Crookston ...

, and worked in the

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

coal yards. DeBoer became one of the leaders of the

Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 The Minneapolis general strike of 1934 grew out of a strike by Teamsters against most of the trucking companies operating in Minneapolis, the major distribution center for the Upper Midwest. The strike began on May 16, 1934 in the Market Distric ...

a particularly well-organized action that resulted in the shutting down of most commercial transport in the city. A leading member of the Socialist Workers Party, DeBoer was prosecuted together with many other SWP leaders under the

Smith Act The Alien Registration Act, popularly known as the Smith Act, 76th United States Congress, 3d session, ch. 439, , is a United States federal statute that was enacted on June 28, 1940. It set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of th ...

for opposing the US involvement in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison. In 1987, DeBoer authored the essay "How to Win Strikes: Lessons from the 1934 Minneapolis Truckers Strike" (also translated into Danish and German), in which he sought to disseminate the tactics used in the Minneapolis strike for the benefit of a new generation of socialists. In his later years, DeBoer was a member of the

Committee for a Workers' International The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) was an international association of Trotskyist political parties. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the CWI. History Founding The origins of the CWI can be traced to a group of ...

before the 1992 split.

Notes

External links

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Hvordan strejker vindes (HOW TO WIN STRIKES in Danish) by Harry DeBoer

Speech at 1985 Militant Rally
1903 births 1992 deaths American anti–World War II activists Minnesota socialists Members of the Socialist Workers Party (United States) People from Crookston, Minnesota People convicted under the Smith Act {{Minnesota-politician-stub