Evans Clark
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Evans Clark (1888–1970) was an American writer strongly committed to first to
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, a s ...
and
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 ...
causes and then
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
socio-economic issues, served for a quarter century as first executive director of the
Twentieth Century Fund The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy r ...
(renamed
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy ...
), and was husband of
Freda Kirchwey Mary Frederika "Freda" Kirchwey (September 26, 1893 – January 3, 1976) was an American journalist, editor, and publisher strongly committed throughout her career to liberal causes (anti-Fascist, pro-Soviet, anti-anti-communist). From 1933 t ...
(editor and publisher of ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'' magazine, to which he contributed).


Background

Evans Clark was born on August 9, 1888, in
Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...
. His parents were William Brewster Clark, a New York physician, and Fanny Cox. He attended private schools in New York City and
The Hill School The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...
in
Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888 ...
. In 1910, he earned a BA from
Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
. He studied law in
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
but received an MA in government and politics in 1913.


Career


Early career

In 1913, Clark began his career as instructor in government at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. In 1917, he became research director for the
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 ...
members of the New York Board of Aldermen. In 1919, Clark became assistant director of a commercial department and then director information for the
Russian Soviet Government Bureau The Russian Soviet Government Bureau (1919-1921), sometimes known as the "Soviet Bureau," was an unofficial diplomatic organization established by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the United States during the Russian Civil War. T ...
(AKA the "Soviet Bureau"), an unofficial diplomatic organization established by the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
in the United States during the
Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
(1919–1920). On March 28, 1919 and April 11, 1919 ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' published articles urging to close what it deemed the illegal representation of the Soviet Bureau. A number of government agencies conducted inquiries of the RSGB prior to its office being raided, including investigations by the
U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
, the
U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
, the Directorate of Military Intelligence, and the War Trade Board. Information was provided as requested, with Soviet Bureau official Evans Clark noting to assistant director of the War Trade Board G.M. Bodman at a meeting on April 25, 1919, that the bureau "had nothing to conceal" and was "glad to furnish information to those entitled to have it." Additionally, Martens and his lawyer Charles Recht had met personally with officials of the Department of Justice in April and May, while Clark travelled to
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
to consult with the personal secretary of
U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
A. Mitchell Palmer Alexander Mitchell Palmer (May 4, 1872 – May 11, 1936), was an American attorney and politician who served as the 50th United States attorney general from 1919 to 1921. He is best known for overseeing the Palmer Raids during the Red Scare ...
. In 1919, Clark also joined the left-wing American
People's Freedom Union The People's Freedom Union was a left wing American political group which existed from 1919 to 1920. Established as a federation of liberal and radical organizations in New York City, the People's Freedom Union conducted marches in support of pol ...
(1919–1920). The union's executive secretary was Frances M. Witherspoon,Stevenson (ed.), ''Revolutionary Radicalism,'' part 1, vol. 1, pg. 1110. and secretary of it Free Political Prisoners Committee was
Tracy Dickinson Mygatt Tracy Dickinson Mygatt (March 12, 1885 – November 22, 1973) was an American writer and pacifist, co-founder with Frances M. Witherspoon of the War Resisters League, and longtime officer of the Campaign for World Government. Early life and e ...
."March in Manacles, Plan of Radicals,"
''New York Times,'' December 16, 1919.
Other members included
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890 – September 5, 1964) was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union ...
,
Lewis Gannett Lewis Gannett is an American writer. He is the author of the books ''The Living One'', ''Magazine Beach'', ''The Siege'', and two ''Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called ...
,
Harry W. 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 ...
, Jessica Smith, and
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 ...
, as well as sociologist Winthrop D. Lane. In 1920, he helped organize th
Labor Bureau, Inc.
(LBI), an independent professional group, with
George Henry Soule Jr. George Henry Soule Jr. (June 11, 1887 – April 14, 1970) was an American labor economist, author, and a long time editor and contributor to ''The New Republic''. Background George Soule was born in Stamford, Connecticut on June 11, 1887 and wa ...
, Alfred L. Bernheim, David J. Saposs. The LBI acted as economic advisers and public relations counselors for labor unions. Clark taught at 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 ...
(a "property of the American Socialist Society") as a "specialist in municipal affairs." Fellow "noted lecturers and teachers" there included: Charles A. Beard, historian (Bureau of Municipal Research); Franklin H. Giddings; Alexander Goldenweiser; Benjamin B. Kendrick; William P. Montague;
David Saville Muzzey David Saville Muzzey (1870–1965) was an American historian. His history textbooks were used by millions of American children. He was accused of being a "bolshevik" by the Better America Federation. He also served as senior leader at the New York ...
;
James Harvey Robinson James Harvey Robinson (June 29, 1863 – February 16, 1936) was an American scholar of history who, with Charles Austin Beard, founded New History, a disciplinary approach that attempts to use history to understand contemporary problems, which ...
; E. M. Sait;
James T. Shotwell James Thomson Shotwell (August 6, 1874 – July 15, 1965) was a Canadian-born American history professor. He played an instrumental role in the creation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1919, as well as for his influence in promo ...
; Lester F. Ward;
David Starr Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Univer ...
; Willard C. Fisher; Ellen Hayes; Vida D. Scudder;
Charles Zueblin Charles Zueblin (1866-1924) was an American sociologist and promoter of civic reform. Biography Zueblin was born in Pendleton, Indiana in 1866. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, Yale, and the University of ...
;
Juliet Stuart Poyntz Juliet Stuart Poyntz (originally 'Points') (25 November 1886 – 1937) was an American suffragist, trade unionist and communist spy. As a student and university teacher, Poyntz espoused many radical causes and went on to become a co-founder o ...
; Dorothy Brewster;
George R. Kirkpatrick George Ross "Kirk" Kirkpatrick (February 24, 1867 – March 23, 1937) was an American anti-militarism, anti-militarist writer and political activist. He is best remembered as the 1916 United States presidential election, 1916 Vice President of the ...
; Harry W. L. Dana;
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 ...
; W.E.B. DuBois;
Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...
; and
Max Eastman Max Forrester Eastman (January 4, 1883 – March 25, 1969) was an American writer on literature, philosophy and society, a poet and a prominent political activist. Moving to New York City for graduate school, Eastman became involved with radical ...
among others. In the early 1920s the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
was in severe membership decline and funding of the ''
New York Call The ''New York Call'' was a socialist daily newspaper published in New York City from 1908 through 1923. The ''Call'' was the second of three English-language dailies affiliated with the Socialist Party of America, following the ''Chicago Daily S ...
'' became correspondingly tenuous. In a last-ditch effort to save the paper, it was reorganized in the fall of 1923 to include non-Socialists in its management. On October 1, 1923 the name of the paper was formally changed to the ''New York Leader'' as a reflection of this new orientation. Pacifist minister
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 ...
, formerly of '' The World Tomorrow,'' was named as editor of the publication.
Heber Blankenhorn Heber Blankenhorn (March 26, 1884 – January 1, 1956) was a 20th-Century American journalist, psychological warfare innovator, and union activist who served on the National Labor Relations Board and recognized decades later by the U.S. Army as b ...
became managing editor, Evans Clark business manager, and Ed Sullivan sportswriter. This effort to stabilize the daily newspaper's funding was unsuccessful, however, and the ''New York Leader'' was terminated just six weeks later. In 1925, Clark wrote editorials, books reviews, and feature stories for the ''New York Times'' through 1928.


Twentieth Century Fund

In 1928, Clark became the first executive director of the
Twentieth Century Fund The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy r ...
(founded by Boston merchant
Edward A. Filene Edward Albert Filene (September 3, 1860 – September 26, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known for building the Filene's department store chain and for his decisive role in pioneering credit unions across the Un ...
), a role he served until 1958. The fund conducted economic research and fostered public education on economic problems. Under Clark, the Fund began its own research into controversial areas, "working on the theory that controversy is an index of a topic's importance and of the need for its objective study." Topics included: consumer credit, pre-payment group medical service, economic sanctions in relation to peace, internal debts of the United States of America, old age security, and labor cartels. From 1958 to his death in 1970, Evans remained a member of the Fund's board of trustees.


Other efforts

In 1935, Evans became an economic advisor to the
New York City Housing Authority The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is a public development corporation which provides public housing in New York City, and is the largest public housing authority in North America. Created in 1934 as the first agency of its kind in the U ...
, which he served until 1937. Concurrently, he served as chairman of the board of directors of the National Public Housing Conference. Concurrently, he served as chairman of the New York State Adjustment Board of the
National Recovery Administration The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...
. In 1937, he served on the panel of arbitrators of the New York City Labor Relations Board. In 1944, Clark was a major co-founder of the
Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York EmblemHealth is one of the United States' largest nonprofit health plans. It is headquartered at 55 Water Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a multi-billion company with over 3 million members. EmblemHealth was created in 2006 thr ...
, a non-profit organization that eventually provided medical care through 30 groups to more than 750,000 people in the New York City area. After World War II, he became a champion for world peace and offered his views for the post-war world publicly:
We as a people know much more clearly now than we did when the last war ended what we want of the peace. We want no more Depression this time. We want work; we want to be able to buy, with the money we earn, decent food, clothing and homes to live in; we want security in illness and old age; we want our children educated; and we want at least some of the luxuries that science and machinery have paraded be fore our eyes—an automobile, a radio, household conveniences.


New York Times

As earlier mentioned, in 1925, Clark wrote editorials, books reviews, and feature stories through 1928. From 1954 to 1962, he served as a member of the NYT's editorial board and wrote about social and economic issues.


Personal and death

In November 1915, Evans married
Freda Kirchwey Mary Frederika "Freda" Kirchwey (September 26, 1893 – January 3, 1976) was an American journalist, editor, and publisher strongly committed throughout her career to liberal causes (anti-Fascist, pro-Soviet, anti-anti-communist). From 1933 t ...
, editor and publisher of ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'' magazine. They had three sons, of whom only one, Michael, survived childhood. Evans died age 82 on August 28, 1970, in
Nyon, Switzerland Nyon (; outdated German: or ; outdated Italian: , ) is a municipality in Nyon District in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Gen ...
, where his wife and he were visiting their son.


Legacy

At his death, the ''New York Times'' wrote in tribute:
Long before
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 ...
's
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 ...
vastly expanded the nation's concepts of social responsibility, Evans Clark was helping to broaden the horizons of public thought on unmet needs in housing, health and other neglected areas. As a member of the editorial board of this newspaper and as director of the
Twentieth Century Fund The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy r ...
, he brought erudition and compassion to the illumination of social issues...


Writings

Books: Clark wrote the following: * ''Facts and Fabrications about Soviet Russia'' (1920) Clark co-wrote the following: * ''The Socialists in the New York Board of Aldermen: A Record of Six Months' Activity'' (1918) * ''Financing the Consumer'' (1930) * ''Boycotts and Peace'' (1932) * ''How to Budget Health: Guilds for Doctors and Patients'' (1933) * '' The International Debts of the United States'' (1933) * ''Stock Market Control'' (1934) Articles: Clark wrote articles based on Fund studies and his own research into social and economic problems for the ''New York Times'', ''The Nation'', and other publications.


See also

*
Russian Soviet Government Bureau The Russian Soviet Government Bureau (1919-1921), sometimes known as the "Soviet Bureau," was an unofficial diplomatic organization established by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in the United States during the Russian Civil War. T ...
(AKA the "Soviet Bureau") *
People's Freedom Union The People's Freedom Union was a left wing American political group which existed from 1919 to 1920. Established as a federation of liberal and radical organizations in New York City, the People's Freedom Union conducted marches in support of pol ...
*
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 ...
*
Twentieth Century Fund The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy r ...
(
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy ...
) *
Freda Kirchwey Mary Frederika "Freda" Kirchwey (September 26, 1893 – January 3, 1976) was an American journalist, editor, and publisher strongly committed throughout her career to liberal causes (anti-Fascist, pro-Soviet, anti-anti-communist). From 1933 t ...
* ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
''


References


External links


The Atlantic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark Evans Amherst College alumni Columbia University alumni 1888 births 1970 deaths People from Orange, New Jersey The Hill School alumni The Century Foundation 20th-century American male writers