The New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) is an organization for members of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
between the ages of 18 and 40 in New York City. The New York Young Republican Club is the oldest and largest chapter in the United States, founded in 1911 with predecessor organizations going back to 1856. The club is affiliated with and officially recognized by the New York State Young Republicans and the
Young Republican National Federation
The Young Republican National Federation, commonly referred to as the Young Republicans or YRNF, is a 527 organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization ...
, as well as the county,
state, and
national Republican committees.
New York City Republican organizations were once a bastion of
moderate Republicans with liberal or centrist views on social issues, but since the election of
Donald Trump have moved sharply to the
political right
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...
.
[N.Y.C. Was Once a Bastion of G.O.P. Moderates. Then Trump Came Along.](_blank)
''New York Times'' (October 17, 2020).
History
Founding
In April 1911, thirty-two young men, led by a young Manhattan lawyer Benjamin M. Day, along with, Philip J. McCook,
Lloyd Carpenter Griscom
Lloyd Carpenter Griscom (November 4, 1872 – February 8, 1959) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and newspaper publisher.
Early life
Lloyd Griscom was born on November 4, 1872, at Riverton, New Jersey. He was the son of shipping magnate Clement ...
,
Frederick Paul Keppel,
Henry W. Goddard,
Edward R. Finch,
Alfred Conkling Coxe Jr.,
Lindon Bates Jr.,
Thomas D. Thacher,
Albert S. Bard, and
Robert McC. Marsh, formed the New York Young Republican Club. This was an offshoot of the earlier New York Young Men's Republican Club, founded in 1879 amid the rise of
political clubs, which itself was a descendant of the even earlier New York Young Men's Republican Union founded in 1856.
The club's first public appearance was a dinner held in December 1911. The guest of honor was the President of the United States,
William Howard Taft, and the principal speaker was Idaho Senator
William Borah.
In 1930, the New York Young Republican Club circulated a questionnaire to its members; of the 649 responses, an overwhelming number (424) supported the repeal of the
Eighteenth Amendment (which
prohibited alcohol), 117 favored modification of the
Volstead Act, and only 108 favored enforcement of prohibition.
Dewey administration
The New York Young Republican Club was significant to the political network of Governor
Thomas Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...
. Club members were important parts of Dewey's campaigns for governor and president, and in 1952 and 1956, Dewey used the club to promote the presidential campaigns of
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
.
[Geoffrey Kabaservice, "On Principle: A Progressive Republican" in ''Summer in the City: John Lindsay, New York, and the American Dream'' (Johns Hopkins University Press: 2014: ed. Joseph P. Viteritti), pp. 29-30.] In the 1950s,
John V. Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, mayor of New York City, and candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regular ...
, later
mayor of New York City, joined the organization, which was an all-male group at the time.
[ He became vice president of the group in 1951 and (after Eisenhower's win in 1952, became president of the group).][ During his presidency of the group, Lindsay was involved in an acrimonious internal battle between a faction led by ]Charles Miller Metzner
Charles Miller Metzner (March 13, 1912 – November 30, 2009) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Education and career
Born in New York City, New York, Metzner received ...
(to whom Lindsay belonged) and a rival faction led by F. Clifton White
Frederick Clifton White Sr. (June 13, 1918 - January 9, 1993), was an American political consultant and campaign manager for candidates of the Republican Party, the New York Conservative Party, and some foreign clients. He is best remembered as t ...
and William A. Rusher
William Allen Rusher (July 19, 1923 – April 16, 2011) was an American lawyer, author, activist, and conservative columnist. He was one of the founders of the conservative movement and was one of its most prominent spokesmen for thirty years as ...
.[
]
1964 elections
In 1964, the ''New York Times'' described the club as "not a large one" but "old and influential in Young Republican affairs."[City Young G.O.P. Club Election Won by Rockefeller Supporters]
''New York Times'' (February 22, 1964), p. 19. That year, the club was described as having 1,200 members citywide.
''New York Times'' (August 5, 1964).
Amid the 1964 Republican presidential contest between New York's Republican Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presid ...
, a pro-Rockefeller faction won the club's presidency by a vote of 365–202 over an independent candidate running with conservative support.[ The group endorsed Rockeller's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination by a 184–6 vote, and endorsed, by a 187–1 vote, the re-nomination of state Senator ]MacNeil Mitchell
MacNeil Mitchell (July 18, 1904 – December 17, 1996) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from New York.
Life
He was born on July 18, 1904, in Lime Rock, Litchfield County, Connecticut, the son of George Henry Mitchell and Harriet ...
, who was facing an insurgent primary challenge from Jacob Javits
Jacob Koppel Javits ( ; May 18, 1904 – March 7, 1986) was an American lawyer and politician. During his time in politics, he represented the state of New York in both houses of the United States Congress. A member of the Republican Party, he a ...
's nephew Eric Javits. The same year, the Club supported John V. Lindsay's decision to run for re-election as mayor as an independent Republican; the group broke from the leaders of other Young Republican clubs in the city, such as those of City College, New York University, Columbia College, and Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
, as well as the Young Women's Republican Club of New York, all of whom condemned Lindsay's decision.[
]
Since 2016
After the rise of Donald Trump, the city's Republican groups moved decidedly to the right.[ In December 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Young Republican Club hosted a gala in Jersey City, New Jersey where the participants flouted public health guidelines. Dozens gathered in crowds indoors, did not wear masks, and did not socially distance. Matt Gaetz, a Republican congressman from Florida, and James O’Keefe, a right-wing activist, attended the party. New Jersey's Democratic Governor Phil Murphy criticized it.
The club endorsed the re-election of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election. When Bolsonaro narrowly lost, the club accused Brazilian left-wing parties of mass voter fraud (without offering any evidence in support of this assertion); claimed that Bolsonaro was the rightful winner; and endorsed a ]military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
to keep Bolsonaro in power.[Alex Griffing]
New York Young Republicans Declare Bolsonaro Winner of Brazil Election He Lost: 'Send in the Tanks'
''Mediaite'' (October 31, 2022).
In December 2022, the club held a gala event in Manhattan that featured both Republican politicians and far-right extremists.[Jonathan Weisman]
A New York Gala Draws Incoming G.O.P. Lawmakers, and Extremists
''New York Times'' (December 14, 2022). At the event, Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene told attendees that if she and former Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon had organized the January 6 attack on the Capitol, "we would have won" and "it would have been armed."[ Given top billing for the gala were Taylor Greene, Jack Posobiec (a far-right conspiracy theorist who pushed ]Pizzagate
"Pizzagate" is a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 United States presidential election cycle. It has been extensively discredited by a wide range of organizations, including the Washington, D.C. police.
In March 2016, the pe ...
conspiracy theories), and Donald Trump Jr.
Donald John Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977) is an American political activist, businessman, author, and former television presenter. He is the eldest child of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and his firs ...
; featured as "special guests" were three newly elected incoming Republican House members—George Santos
George Anthony Devolder Santos (; ; born July 22, 1988) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Santos was elected to Congress in 2022, after running unsuccessful ...
of New York, Cory Mills
Cory Mills (born July 13, 1980) is an American businessman, defense contractor, and politician serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives for since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he worked in various organization ...
of Florida, and Mike Collins of Georgia.[ Also attending the event was ]Peter Brimelow
Peter Brimelow (born 13 October 1947) is a British-born American white nationalist and white supremacist writer. He is the founder of the website VDARE, an anti-immigration site associated with white supremacy, white nationalism, and the alt-rig ...
, an anti-immigrant activist whose VDARE website publishes the work of white nationalists
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwo ...
, and members of the Freedom Party of Austria and Alternative for Germany
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. ...
, two extreme-right European parties with an authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...
heritage.[
]
See also
* Young Republicans
The Young Republican National Federation, commonly referred to as the Young Republicans or YRNF, is a 527 organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organizatio ...
* College Republicans
College Republicans are college and university students who support the Republican Party of the United States. Many members belong to the organization College Republican National Committee (CRNC), College Republicans United (CRU), or various in ...
* Teen Age Republicans
* Republicans Overseas
* Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
* New York Republican State Committee
References
External links
*
{{Republican Party (United States), state=collapsed
Youth wings of political parties in the United States
Republican Party (United States) organizations
International Young Democrat Union
Youth wings of conservative parties