Roy Everett Burt (September 16, 1890 – April 14, 1967) was a Methodist clergyman and an American socialist 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, 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 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 at Lawrence and did graduate work at Northwestern University 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 comm ...

. 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 and served a pastor of a Methodist Episcopal Church in Rock Springs, Wyoming, 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, 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. During the fall 1936 electoral campaign, Burt was employed as a speaker on behalf of the Thomas- 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. Roy Burt took over for Norman Thomas protégé Clarence O. Senior as Executive Secretary of the

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 Travers Clement was an American socialist writer, politician, and political functionary. He is best remembered as an assistant to Angelica Balabanoff in the writing of her memoirs and for his tenure as the National Executive Secretary of the Social ...

Los Gatos, California Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the ...

, 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.

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