James Hudson Maurer (April 15, 1864 – March 16, 1944) was a prominent American

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist who twice ran for the office of

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

on the ticket of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...

Biography

Early years

James H. Maurer was born in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

on April 15, 1864 and was one of three brothers."Maurer Outstanding Leader of Progressive Labor: Socialist Vice Presidential Nominnee Bitter Opponent of State Constabulary 'Cossacks' — A Worker Since Childhood," ''The New Leader and American Appeal,'' vol. 1, no. 21 (April 21, 1928), pg. 3. His father, James D. Maurer, was a shoemaker who later served as a Police officer in Reading. Maurer first went to work at age 6 as a newsboy, becoming an assistant to a

plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.

at the age of 10, later becoming a full-fledged plumber. The Maurers were of

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...

ethnic extraction and the family counted ancestors in America dating back nearly two centuries.

Socialist and labor politics

Maurer joined the

Knights of Labor Knights of Labor (K of L), officially Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was an American labor federation active in the late 19th century, especially the 1880s. It operated in the United States as well in Canada, and had chapters also ...

labor union on his 16th birthday in April 1880. He was also active in the

Single Tax A single tax is a system of taxation based mainly or exclusively on one tax, typically chosen for its special properties, often being a tax on land value. The idea of a single tax on land values was proposed independently by John Locke and Bar ...

movement associated with

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

. In the early 1890s, he joined the People's Party, a

populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

political organization which attempted in particular to advance the cause of the nation's farmers. He was introduced to socialist ideas near the end of the decade, spending nearly a year to read

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

's ''Capital'' before joining the

Socialist Labor Party of America The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924 ...

(SLP) in 1899. Maurer helped to organize Section Hamburg, Pennsylvania SLP in February of that year. From 1901 he was a member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. Throughout his later life Maurer was strongly supportive of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

and he came to strongly disapprove of the SLP's efforts to establish a competing socialist trade union to the AF of L, the

Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance The Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance of the United States and Canada - commonly abbreviated STLA or ST&LA - was a revolutionary socialist labor union in the United States closely linked to the Socialist Labor Party (SLP), which existed from 189 ...

and left the SLP to join the

(SPA) in 1901 over this issue. He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania on the Socialist Party ticket in 1906, garnering nearly 26,000 votes. In November 1910, Maurer was elected as a Socialist to the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, serving through 1912. During his term in the legislature, Maurer fought for the passage of a plan for Old Age Pensions and attempted to prevent the establishment of a State Constabulary, which was seen as a mechanism for the armed and organized breaking of strikes. Also in 1912, Maurer was elected as President of the Pennsylvania Federation of Labor, a post which he held until 1930. Defeated in his bid for reelection to the Pennsylvania House in 1913, Maurer came back from the loss to win election to two more terms, in 1915 and 1917. During his second and third terms of office, Maurer was instrumental in working for the passage of child labor and workmen's compensation legislation in the state.

Anti-militarist activities

In January 1916, Maurer was part of a three-person delegation to

President Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Demo ...

to advocate part of the Socialist Party's peace program, proposing that "the President of the United States convoke a congress of neutral nations, which shall offer mediation to the belligerents and remain in permanent session until the termination of the war." A resolution to this effect had been offered in the House of Representatives by the SPA's lone Congressman,

Meyer London Meyer London (December 29, 1871 – June 6, 1926) was an American politician from New York City. He represented the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was one of only two members of the Socialist Party of America elected to the United States Congre ...

of New York, and President Wilson received London, Maurer, and party leader

Morris Hillquit Morris Hillquit (August 1, 1869 – October 8, 1933) was a founder and leader of the Socialist Party of America and prominent labor lawyer in New York City's Lower East Side. Together with Eugene V. Debs and Congressman Victor L. Berger, Hillqui ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, along with various other delegations. Maurer was the only member of the Pennsylvania legislature to vote against a resolution supporting American severance of diplomatic relations with Germany in the run up to American entry into the war.Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr.
The Socialists of Reading, Pennsylvanian and World War I: A Question of Loyalty,"
''Pennsylvania History,'' vol. 36, no. 4 (October 1969), pg. 438. When he attempted to explain his voting rationale on the floor, Maurer was rudely shouted down by his colleagues and ruled out of order by the chair. Hillquit later recalled that Wilson was at first "inclined to give us a short and perfunctory hearing" but as the Socialists made their case to him, the session "developed into a serious and confidential conversation." Wilson told the group that he had already considered a similar plan but chose not to put it into effect because he was not sure of its reception by other neutral nations. "The fact is," Wilson claimed, "that the United States is the only important country that may be said to be neutral and disinterested. Practically all other neutral countries are in one way or another tied up with some belligerent power and dependent on it." On July 30, 1917 a public Maurer speaking event in

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was the scene of a near riot when his speech on the topic "Is Conscription Constitutional?" was broken up by khaki-clad soldiers."5,000 Citizens Insulted: Open Air Mass Meeting Broken Up by Hoodlumism. Right to Free Speech Denied," ''Seattle Daily Call,'' July 31, 1917; pg. 1. At an "open air mass meeting" held under the auspices of the

People's Council of America The People's Council of America for Democracy and the Terms of Peace, commonly known as the "People's Council," was an American pacifist political organization established in New York City in May 1917. Organized in opposition to the decision of the ...

, Maurer had spoken for about 15 minutes when a group of soldiers began heckling him. Maurer briefly tried to shame the hecklers into silence, but instead the soldiers rushed the speaker's platform and forcibly brought Maurer's oration to a close. According to a contemporary news report, only the quick action of local socialist activist

Kate Sadler Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

prevented the tense situation from degenerating into a riot, when she leaped to her feet, scolded the young soldiers, and abruptly launched into a short fundraising speech that defused the situation and allowed for an orderly termination of the meeting. Maurer's outspoken opposition to the war hampered his support among his legislative constituents and he found his re-election efforts further challenged by a ban on public meetings enacted in an effort to slow the spread of deadly

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

."Maurer Defeated," ''The Eye Opener'' hicago whole no. 300 (Nov. 1918), pg. 3. As a result, Maurer was defeated in his November 1918 bid to win another term in the legislature at

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

Post-war political career

In his capacity as head of the Pennsylvania Federation of Labor, Maurer was very active in the Steel strike of 1919 in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, helping to organize workers to win the right of

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...

with their employers. Maurer was elected multiple times to the governing National Executive Committee of the SPA. He was also President of the Workers' Education Bureau of America and Brookwood Labor College from 1921. He was on the governing National Committee of the

Conference for Progressive Political Action The Conference for Progressive Political Action was officially established by the convention call of the 16 major railway labor unions in the United States, represented by a committee of six: William H. Johnston of the Machinists' Union, Martin F. ...

(CPPA) from 1922. He was strongly supportive of Robert LaFollette's 1924 campaign for president. In September 1927, James H. Maurer, as its chairman, headed an American workers' delegation and visited

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. He exchanged opinions with its leader,

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

. Maurer was elected to the Reading City Council in November 1927, part of a sweep by the Socialist Party which won the administration of the city. In

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

, Maurer was selected by party convention to join

Norman Thomas Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 – December 19, 1968) was an American Presbyterian minister who achieved fame as a socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. Early years Thomas was the ...

on the Socialist Party's presidential ticket. He ran a second time for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1930. In

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

, he was selected once again as Norman Thomas' running mate in the SPA's presidential campaign. In 1934, Maurer made his final electoral run as a candidate for

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Pennsylvania. In 1938 the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

-affiliated Rand School Press published Maurer's autobiography, ''It Can Be Done''. Jim Maurer retained his faith in

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

into the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, writing in 1938:

"There can be no doubt that if the cards were dealt honestly and the game played on the level without marked cards, the New Deal would be a vast improvement over the Old. But if President Roosevelt believes that those who profited under the old deal and never played the game square in their lives will now play fair with him, he is due for a rude awakening. I believe President Roosevelt is sincere and that he really hopes to lift the suffering masses out of their desperate poverty and yet save capitalism....
"Just how President Roosevelt and his advisers hope to lift the exploited and oppressed out of the mire by increasing profits and raising the cost of living is too deep for me. If they believe employers will increase wages as their profits increase, then they believe the leopard can change his spots. They should know that increased profits only increase the appetite for profits. The desire for the accumulation of great wealth seems like a disease, and disease has never been cured by increasing its virulence. ... e one lasting solution is the end of the profit system."

Death

James H. Maurer died on March 16, 1944 in

. The

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a ...

at his funeral was delivered by

Birch Wilson L. Birch Wilson Jr. (1883–1974) was an American political activist, newspaper editor, and civic employee. Wilson is best remembered as a member of the governing National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of America during the 1920s and t ...

, a long-time party comrade from Reading.Wayne E. Homan, "Birch Wilson is Last Socialist Pioneer," ''Reading Eagle,'' Oct. 14, 1970, section 3, pg. 39. Maurer's family were Lutherans.

Footnotes

Works

* ''Unemployment and the Mechanical Man'' Our strike-breaking governments n.d.
''The Far East,''
Reading, Pa., Press of Sentinel Print. Co., 1912. * ''The Constabulary of Pennsylvania'' (with Charles Maurer) [Reading, Pa.? : C.A. Maurer?, * ''The American Cossack'', Pennsylvania Federation of Labor, 1915.
''Things We Care About.''
(with others) [New York : People's Council of America for Democracy and Peace, 1917.
''Report of the Pennsylvania Commission on Old Age Pensions, March, 1919.''
Harrisburg, Penna., J.L.L. Kuhn, Printer to the Commonwealth, 1919. * ''A Heart to Heart Talk with Trade Unionists'' Chicago: Socialist Party National Office, 1920. * ''Report on the Workers' Educational Classes in Pennsylvania during 1920-1921'' Reading, PA: Peoples Printing Company, 1921. * ''The Open Shop?'' Harrisburg, Pa., Pennsylvania Federation of Labor 1921. *''Report of the Pennsylvania commission on old age pensions. February, 1921'' Harrisburg, Penna., J.L.L. Kuhn, Printer to the commonwealth, 1921.
''Report of the Pennsylvania Commission on Old Age Pensions, January, 1927. ''
Harrisburg, PA: 1927. * ''Unemployment and the mechanical man'' Chicago: Socialist Party of America, 1930. * ''Socialism vs. capitalism'' Brooklyn: Socialist Party, Kings County, 1932.
''It Can Be Done: The Autobiography of James Hudson Maurer''
New York, Rand School Press, 1938.