August Claessens

August "Gus" Claessens (1885–1954) was an American socialist politician, best known as one of the five New York Assemblymen expelled from that body during the First Red Scare for their membership in the Socialist Party of America. Claessens later served as Executive Secretary and National Chairman of the Social Democratic Federation, a factional offshoot of the Socialist Party.

Biography

Early life

August Claessens was born in Switzerland in 1885. His family emigrated to America in 1890 and he grew up in New York, educated in both Roman Catholic and public schools. Claessens went to work at age 14 and worked variously as a newsboy, grocery clerk, and shipping clerk.^[1]

Claessens joined the Socialist Party of America in 1909 and was soon engaged as a public speaker and organizer on behalf of the organization, touring coast to coast. In 1914 he was employed as an instructor in public speaking at the Rand School of Social Science in New York City. He also taught extension classes in Labor and Management for Rutgers University and was a volunteer speaker and organizer for various New York trade union locals.^[2] Throughout his life he taught night school courses on an array of topics, including public speaking, parliamentary procedure, psychology and social psychology, race relations, socialist theory, contemporary politics, anthropology, and sex and society.^[3]

Early in his tenure as a teacher at the Rand School, Claessens met a student named Hilda Goldstein, who he subsequently married.^[4] The pair traveled the country together as Socialist speakers.

Political career

Claessens was first elected to the New York State Assembly in the fall of 1917 for the session of 1918. He won reelection the following year for the 1919 session and a third term in the fall of 1919 for the 1920 session. On the first day of the 1920 session, however, Republican Speaker of the House Thaddeus C. Sweet 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 infamous Palmer Raids, this action was a part of the anti-radical hysteria that was sweeping the nation during this period. The five Assemblymen — Claessens, Charles Solomon, Samuel DeWitt, Louis Waldman, and Samuel Orr — were represented in a trial before the Assembly by Morris Hillquit and Seymour Stedman in an event which became a cause célèbre among liberals, radicals, and civil libertarians across the nation. On April 1, 1920, the quintet were expelled from the Assembly, despite vociferous public protest. Claessens was re-elected in a special election held in September 1920, but was again barred by Speaker Sweet from assuming his elected position.^[5]

In the fall of 1921, Claessens won re-election to the Assembly for its 1922. With anti-red hysteria on the wane at last, Claessens was finally seated without incident. In 1926, he ran on the Socialist ticket for Lieutenant Governor of New York, and in 1934, for U.S. Representative-at-large.

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, 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 Social Democratic Federation (SDF).

Claessens was active in the American Labor Party 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.^[6]

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.

Death and legacy

August Claessens' papers reside at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives of Bobst Library at New York University.

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. [c. 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. [c. 1935].
• 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. [c. 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. [1943].
• Eugene Victor Debs: A Tribute, 1855-1926. New York: Rand School Press, n.d. [1946].
• 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.

See also

• List of New York Legislature members expelled or censured

Additional reading

• New York State Legislature, Standing Committee on the Judiciary, Louis M. Martin, Louis Waldman, Samuel Aaron De Witt, August Claessens, Samuel Orr, Charles Solomon, Proceedings of the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly: In The Matter Of The Investigation By The Assembly Of The State Of New York As To The Qualifications Of Louis Waldman, August Claessens, Samuel A DeWitt, Samuel Orr, And Charles Solomon To Retain Their Seats In Said Body. In Three Volumes. New York: J.B. Lyon Co., 1920. Available online: Volume I, Volume II, Volume III.
• Louis Waldman, Albany: The Crisis in Government: The History of the Suspension, Trial and Expulsion from the New York State Legislature in 1920 of the Five Socialist Assemblymen by Their Political Opponents. Introduction by Seymour Stedman. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1920.