Eugene V. Debs Papers
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Abstract
Eugene V. Debs was president of the American Railway Union, an advocate of industrial unionism and a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World, and a five-time candidate for president of the United States on the Socialist Party ticket. The collection, comprised of material donated to the Tamiment Library by several individuals, contains correspondence, examples of Debs' published speeches and writings, newspaper clippings, graphics, ephemera and material relating to the Eugene V. Debs Foundation. Included is a selection of material collected by Debs' attorney, Samuel Castleton, relating to Debs' imprisonment for opposition to U.S. involvement in World War I. Among the correspondents are: James Oneal, Algernon Lee, Edwin Markham and Seymour Stedman.
Historical/Biographical Note
Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to French immigrant parents, Eugene V. Debs worked as a painter on the railroad and as a clerk, while becoming active in Democratic politics at the local and state levels. He gained prominence as editor of the magazine of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, and served as secretary-treasurer of the union. In 1893 he broke away from the conservative Brotherhood to organize the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the first industrial unions in the United States. After leading the ARU in a bitter strike against the Pullman Company in 1894, he was sentenced to six months in jail. He was among the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905, but broke with the organization in 1908.
Debs ran for president of the United States in 1900 as the standard-bearer of the newly formed Social Democratic Party, a precursor of the Socialist Party of America. A compelling orator and charismatic leader, he was the Socialist Party's presidential candidate in 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920.
On June 16, 1918, Debs delivered an impassioned speech in Canton, Ohio in opposition to the United States' involvement in World War I. He was arrested and tried under the Espionage Act of 1917; the indictment accused him of "attempting to cause insubordination, mutiny, disloyalty and refusal of duty within the military…. [and promoting] the cause of the Imperial German Government." He was sentenced, at the age of sixty-three, to serve ten years in federal prison. In 1920, while still imprisoned at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, Debs conducted his last campaign for president; he won more than 900,000 votes - 3.5 percent of the total. On December 25, 1921, President Warren G. Harding commuted Debs' sentence to time served and Debs was released from prison.
After his release, and despite his worsening health, Debs continued to speak and publish widely on behalf of the Socialist Party, and related causes such as the campaign to free Sacco and Vanzetti. He died at the age of 70 at Lindlahr Sanitarium in Elmhurst, IL on October 20, 1926, and was buried in Terre Haute.
Arrangement
Folders are arranged alphabetically.
The files are grouped into four series:
Missing Title
- I, Correspondence, 1899-1965
- II, General Files, 1892-1966
- III, Samuel Castleton Papers, 1886-1951
- IV, Oversize.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains correspondence, including some letters from Debs to James Oneal, Algernon Lee and Edwin Markham. Letters from Theodore Debs' regarding his brother are also present in the collection. Published copies of Debs' speeches and writings are also included, as are newspaper clippings and subject files. The papers of Samuel Castleton, Debs' attorney during his trial under the 1917 Espionage Act, contain correspondence and copies of Castleton's column in the Appeal to Reason entitled "Debs in Prison."
Of particular significance are materials relating to Frank X. Holl, a colleague of Debs' from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen; the large body of correspondence between Theodore Debs and Socialist Party activist Joseph Cohen; clippings relating to the production of a Debs Medallion in 1914; subject files on Debs' "Red Special" campaign train; publicity materials from the Eugene V. Debs Foundation; and a set of playing cards with depictions of Debs and other labor leaders produced by the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Tamiment Library is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Eugene V. Debs Collection; TAM 020; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This is an assembled collection, created by Tamiment Library staff over a number of years and derived from a variety of sources. Donated by Marguerite Debs Cooper, daughter of Eugene Debs, in 1947 and 1962. Another accession was donated by Miriam Allen deFord in 1959. The accession number associated with these gifts is 1950.159.
Custodial History
This is an assembled collection, created by Tamiment Library staff over a number of years and derived from a variety of sources. Marguerite Debs Cooper, daughter of Eugene Debs, donated materials in 1947 and in the early 1960s. Miriam Allen deFord donated materials in 1959. The Samuel Castleton Papers were donated by his daughter, Sylvia Weyl Castleton at an unknown date. The accession number 1950.159 is associated with this collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The Eugene V. Debs Graphics Collection (GRAPHICS 007) was incorporated into this collection at an unknown date.
In August 2017, three busts and two portraits of Eugene V. Debs were retroactively accessioned into this collection and were prepared to be moved to offsite art storage in September 2017.