August "Gus" Claessens (June 17, 1885 – December 9, 1954) was a Swiss-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

politician, best known as one of the five New York Assemblymen expelled from that body during the

First Red Scare The First Red Scare was a period during the early 20th-century history of the United States marked by a widespread fear of far-left movements, including Bolshevism and anarchism, due to real and imagined events; real events included the R ...

for their membership in 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 ...

. Claessens was three times a candidate for

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, running on the Socialist ticket in 1914, 1924, and 1934. He later served as Executive Secretary and National Chairman of 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 C ...

, a factional offshoot of the Socialist Party.

Biography

Early life

August Claessens was born in

Berne Bern () or Berne; in other Swiss languages, gsw, Bärn ; frp, Bèrna ; it, Berna ; rm, Berna is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city" (in german: Bundesstadt, link=no, french: ville fédérale ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, on June 17, 1885. He was raised by his mother and a step-father, the latter of whom worked as a house painter.Solon DeLeon with Irma C. Hayssen and Grace Poole (eds.), ''The American Labor Who's Who.'' New York: Hanford Press, 1925; pg. 42. His family emigrated to America in 1890 and he grew up in New York, educated in both

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and public schools. Claessens went to work at age 14 and worked variously as a newsboy, grocery clerk, and shipping clerk. Claessens took part in self-directed study through the

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique ...

and the

Rand School of Social Science The Rand School of Social Science was formed in 1906 in New York City by adherents of the Socialist Party of America. The school aimed to provide a broad education to workers, imparting a politicizing class-consciousness, and additionally served a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

.Bernard K. Johnpoll, "August Claessens (1885-1954)," in Bernard K. Johnpoll and Harvey Klehr (eds.), ''Biographical Dictionary of the American Left.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986; pp. 69-71. While at the Rand School Claessens became interested 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 th ...

and the

Yiddish language Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

, both joining the

and becoming proficient in Yiddish by 1909. Claessens would actively participate in the predominantly Jewish socialist movement in New York City for the rest of his life. Well equipped by his Rand School training, Claessens was soon engaged as a public speaker and organizer on behalf of the organization, touring coast to coast. He also was a frequent speaker at public meetings of the

Workmen's Circle The Workers Circle or Der Arbeter Ring ( yi, דער אַרבעטער־רינג), formerly The Workmen's Circle, is an American Jewish nonprofit organization that promotes social and economic justice, Jewish community and education, including Yiddi ...

''(Arbeiter Ring),'' a predominantly Yiddish-language fraternal benefit organization. In 1914, Claessens was employed as an instructor in public speaking at the Rand School. He also taught extension classes in Labor and Management for

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

and was a volunteer speaker and organizer for various New York trade union locals. Throughout his life he taught night school courses on an array of topics, including public speaking,

parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense ...

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

and

social psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the ...

, race relations, socialist theory, contemporary politics,

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

, and sex and society. Early in his tenure as a teacher at the Rand School, Claessens met a student named Hilda Goldstein, who he subsequently married. The pair traveled the country together as Socialist speakers.

Political career

Gus Claessens made his first run for political office in 1914, when he stood for

as a candidate of the Socialist Party in 1914. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Claessens supported the majority of the Socialist Party in opposition to the war. He ran in the 26th District of New York County for

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

: Democrat

Meyer Levy Meyer Levy (May 16, 1887 – January 26, 1967 in Manhattan, New York City) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York. Life He was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 26th D.) in 1916 and 1917. He was a mem ...

polled 2,885 votes; the incumbent Progressive/Republican Joseph Steinberg polled 2,673 votes, and Claessens polled 1,207. Able to campaign effectively both in Yiddish and English, Claessens won easy election in November 1917 in the 17th Assembly District. Claessens subsequently won election twice, being a member of the State Assembly in

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

and

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

. On the first day of the 1920 session, however,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Speaker of the House

Thaddeus C. Sweet Thaddeus Campbell Sweet (November 16, 1872 – May 1, 1928) was an American manufacturer and politician from New York. He represented New York's 32nd congressional district from 1923 to 1928. Biography He was born on November 16, 1872 in Phoenix ...

brought the five elected Socialist Assemblyman before the house and pushed through a resolution suspending them from the body pending a trial, coming just a week after the

Palmer Raids The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchists ...

of the

. The five Assemblymen — Claessens, Charles Solomon, Samuel A. DeWitt,

Louis Waldman Louis Waldman (January 5, 1892 – September 12, 1982) was a leading figure in the Socialist Party of America from the late 1910s and through the middle 1930s, a founding member of the Social Democratic Federation, and a prominent New York la ...

, and

Samuel Orr Samuel Orr (July 11, 1890 – August 29, 1981) was a socialist politician from New York City best remembered for being one of the five elected members of the Socialist Party of America expelled by the New York State Assembly during the First Red ...

— were represented in a trial before the Assembly by

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, Hillqu ...

and Seymour Stedman in an event which became a ''

cause célèbre A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...

'' among liberals,

radicals Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

, and

civil libertarians Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that supports civil liberties, or which emphasizes the supremacy of individual rights and personal freedoms over and against any kind of authority (such as a state, a corporation, social no ...

across the nation. On April 1, 1920, the quintet were expelled from the Assembly, despite vociferous public protest. All five were re-elected at a special election on September 16, and appeared to take their seats at the beginning of the special session on September 20. The next day, DeWitt and Orr were permitted to take their seats, but Claessens, Solomon and Waldman were expelled again. Protesting against the re-expulsion of their comrades, DeWitt and Orr resigned their seats. Claeesens contested the election of Democrat Murray Felenstein to the

145th New York State Legislature The 145th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 4 to August 29, 1922, during the second year of Nathan L. Miller's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pr ...

, and was seated on February 28, 1922. Claessens again ran for Congress as a Socialist in the fall of 1924, once again falling to defeat. In the

New York state election, 1926 The 1926 New York state election was held on November 2, 1926, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, a U.S. Senator, the chief judge and an associate judge of the New York Court of Appea ...

, he ran on the Socialist ticket for

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket w ...

; and in November 1927 for New York City Alderman from the 6th Ward. At the

New York state election, 1934 The 1934 New York state election was held on November 6, 1934, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, a U.S. Senator, two U.S. Representatives-at-large, the chief judge and two associate j ...

, Claessens ran for Congress in

New York's At-large congressional district On three occasions in New York history, some members of the United States House of Representatives were elected statewide at-large. This was due to an increase of the number of representatives after the previous federal census, and the failure of ...

Party split

During the factional conflict within the Socialist Party during the 1930s, Claessens stood with the so-called "Old Guard" faction led by Hillquit,

James Oneal James J. "Jim" Oneal (March 13, 1875 – December 12, 1962), a founding member of the Socialist Party of America (SPA), was a prominent socialist journalist, historian, and party activist who played a decisive role in the bitter party splits of 19 ...

, and Louis Waldman. After the youthful radical "Militant" faction won the day at the 1934 National Convention, passing an aggressive new Statement of Principles, Claessens joined his "Old Guard" comrades in an exodus from the party to establish the

(SDF). In the middle 1930s, Claessens served as Executive Secretary of the SDF and was later elected to the position of National Chairman, a post which he held until his death in 1954. Claessens was active in the

American Labor Party The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of A ...

during its early years and stood for election to the New York Assembly as part of a joint ALP-Republican ticket in 1938. He was defeated in the effort along with all 14 of the other American Labor candidates of the ill-considered ALP-Republican slate.Claessens, ''Didn't We Have Fun!'', pp. 198-200. In 1944, Claessens joined with Socialist Party leaders

Harry Laidler Harry Wellington Laidler (February 18, 1884 – July 14, 1970) was an American socialist writer, magazine editor, and politician. He is best remembered as executive director of the League for Industrial Democracy, successor to the Intercollegiate ...

and Paul Blanshard in attempting to defeat the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

-dominated faction which had gained control of the ALP. Failing to win control of that organization, Claessens and his associates withdrew that same year and established the

Liberal Party of New York The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York. Its platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal health care. History The Liberal Part ...

as a rival organization. Claessens would be a Liberal Party candidate for the State Assembly several times, failing to win election.

Death and legacy

Gus Claessens was twice married. His first wife, the former Hilda Goldstein, was a union organizer who died in 1932."August Claessens, 69, Dies; Ex-Socialist Assemblyman,"
''Brooklyn Eagle,'' vol. 114, no. 339 (Dec. 10, 1954), pg. 13. His second wife, the former Anna Glassman, survived him at the time of his death. Claessens died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on December 9, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York.Larry Kestenbaum
"Politicians in Trouble: 1920-1929,"
www.politicalgraveyard.com/ His body was interred at Cedar Grove Cemetery, located in

Flushing, Queens, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the ...

. Claessens' papers reside at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives of

Bobst Library The Elmer Holmes Bobst Library ( ), often referred to simply as Bobst Library or just Bobst, is the main library at New York University (NYU) in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The library is located at 70 Washington Square South between LaGuardi ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Footnotes

Works

* ''The Socialists in the New York Assembly: The Work of Ten Socialist Members During the Legislative Session of 1918.'' With William Morris Feigenbaum. New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1918.
''The Logic of Socialism.''
New York: Rand School of Social Science, n.d. . 1921 (Also translated into Polish).
''The Trinity of Plunder: A Cheerful Slam at Rent, Interest and Profit.''
Illustrations by Ryan Walker. New York: New York Call, 1922. (Also translated into Slovenian).
''Is Socialism Inevitable? An Explanation of the Forces of Social Progress.''
Chicago: Socialist Party of the United States, 1922. * ''Essentials of Socialism: A Brief Exposition of the Principal Elements of Modern Socialism.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1933. * ''A Manual for Socialist Speakers: A Brief Text Book on the Technique of Public Speaking and Socialist Propaganda Meetings.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1933. * ''Social Attitudes Towards War and Peace.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1934. * ''The Blue Eagle is Dead — So What?'' New York: New York Socialist Party, n.d. 935 * ''A Manual for Trade Union Speakers: A Brief Text Book on Public Speaking.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1936. * ''ABC of Parliamentary Law: A Brief Handbook on Rules of Order for Meetings Adapted to the Needs of Labor Groups.'' With Rebecca Jarvis. New York: Rand School Press, n.d. . 1936 (Also translated into Japanese). * ''What Organized Labor Wants: A Popular Description of Trade Union Philosophy, Economics, and Ideals.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1937. * ''The Democratic Way of Life.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1940. * ''Race Prejudice: A Description of the Various Factors in Racial Animosities, Discriminations, and Conflicts, and the Conditions under which These Antagonisms are Increased or Eliminated.'' New York: Rand School Press, n.d. 943 * ''Eugene Victor Debs: A Tribute, 1855-1926.'' New York: Rand School Press, n.d. 946 * ''Didn't We Have Fun! Stories Out of a Long, Fruitful and Merry Life.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1953. * ''Understanding the Worker: Problems of Labor Organizations Analyzed in the LIght of Social Psychology. Backgrounds in Trade Union History.'' New York: Rand School Press, 1954.