Roy Burt
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Roy Everett Burt (September 16, 1890 – April 14, 1967) was a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
clergyman and an American
socialist 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 ...
politician and functionary. Burt is best remembered as the Executive Secretary 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 ...
from 1936 to 1939.


Biography


Early years

Burt was born on a farm in Coles County,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, on September 16, 1890, to Zenas Wesley Burt and Cora May Hall."Roy Burt's Career Closely Linked with Interests of the Workers," ''America for All'' hicago whole no. 13 (October 29, 1932), pg. 4. His family moved to
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
when Roy was 9 years old."Burt, Trager Take Posts at Party Office," ''The Socialist Call,'' vol. 2, whole no. 92 (December 19, 1936), pg. 3. Later they left the farm to move to a mining community in the Southeastern part of the state. As a boy, Burt worked in and around the mines and as a clerk in shops in his hometown. Burt earned a teacher's degree from the
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
at
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
and did graduate work at
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
and the
Garrett Biblical Institute Garrett may refer to: Places ;United States * Garrett, Illinois * Garrett, Indiana * Garrett, Kentucky (multiple places) ** Garrett, Floyd County, Kentucky, an unincorporated community ** Garrett, Meade County, Kentucky, an unincorporated commun ...
. He worked as a teacher, principal, and high school superintendent in Northeastern
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. Burt was ordained a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
and served a pastor of a Methodist Episcopal Church in
Rock Springs, Wyoming Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 23,036 at the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state of Wyoming, and the most populous city in Sweetwater County. Rock Springs is ...
, for years. During this interval, Burt also conducted a Labor college in cooperation with the Central Trades Union of Rock Springs and served as associate director of workers' education for the state of Wyoming under the auspices of the Wyoming State Federation of Labor. He married Ethyl E. Denton on 30 December 30, 1913. During the years of the
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Burt resided in
Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...
. Burt remained active in the church throughout his life as a Christian socialist. From 1928 to 1933, Burt was connected with the Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church, studying and investigating social and economic problems."Roy E. Burt, New National Secretary; Ill Health Causes Senior Resignation," ''Socialist Action'' hicago vol. 2, no. 9 (November 1936), pp. 1, 4. Burt was a member of the
Retail Clerks Union The Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU) was a labor union that represented retail employees. History The RCIU was chartered as the "Retail Clerks National Protective Union" in 1890 by the American Federation of Labor. It later adopted the ...
and the American Federation of Teachers during his working career.


Political career

During the 1930s, Burt worked for the Socialist Party as a field organizer, a job which took him to almost every state of the union during the course of his activities establishing and building party locals. 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 ...
, Burt was the candidate of the
Socialist Party of Illinois The Socialist Party of Illinois (SPIL) is a political party in the state of Illinois. It was affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. It was founded in September 1901, though the grouping met in 1900 at a convention in Chicago and supported E ...
for
Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...
. During the fall 1936 electoral campaign, Burt was employed as a speaker on behalf of the
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
- Nelson campaign. He spoke continuously from September 13 to November 1, starting his tour in Pennsylvania before heading to the Pacific coast and back through the Southwest. He was also one of the Socialist Party of America's nominees in that year's election for trustees of the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
. Roy Burt took over for Norman Thomas protégé Clarence O. Senior as Executive Secretary 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 ...
effective December 15, 1936. After taking a leave of absence on March 1, 1939, during which he was replaced temporarily by Arthur G. McDowell, Burt resigned as National Executive Secretary late in that same month.Arthur G. McDowell, ''Local and Branch Bulletin,'' no. 3 of 1939 series, Chicago: National Office, Socialist Party, USA, March 31, 1939; pg. 2. He was replaced at the April 15–17, 1939 session of the National Executive Committee by Travers Clement of
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, himself a member of the NEC."Travers Clement Named National Secretary of SP," ''The Socialist Call,'' vol. 5, no. 7, whole no. 200 (April 29, 1939), pg. 3.


Later years, death and legacy

After leaving the post of Executive Secretary of the Socialist Party, Burt accepted the post of associate pastor of the Wesley Methodist Church in
Minneapolis, Minnesota 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 ...
. He died on April 14, 1967, in
Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
.


Footnotes


Works

* ''A Young People’s Course on Christianity and the Rural Life of the World.'' New York:
Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada (commonly identified as the Missionary Education Movement or even, the Movement) was an American publisher of Protestant missionary educational literature. It was a federation of the Ho ...
, n.d. . 1931 * ''Adventures in Building a Better World.'' Chicago: The Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1933. * ''Report to the Special Convention: Chicago, March 26–29, 1937.'' hicago ocialist Party 1937 * ''Socialist Handbook, 1937.'' (Editor) Chicago: Socialist Party, 1937. * ''Community Service for Youth: A Guide to Christian Social Thinking and Action.'' Nashville: Methodist Publishing House, 1941. {{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Roy E. 1890 births 1967 deaths Executive Secretaries of the Socialist Party of America American Christian socialists Methodist socialists People from Coles County, Illinois University of Kansas alumni Northwestern University alumni Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary alumni Socialist Party of America politicians from Illinois