August Claessens Papers
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Abstract
August Claessens was a leading educational and political figure in the Socialist Party. In the fall of 1917, Claessens was elected to the New York State Assembly, as a representative of one of Manhattan's Lower East Side assembly districts, and was one of five socialist assemblymen who the Assembly refused to seat after their 1919 reelections. In 1922, Claessens was allowed to take office after being re-elected for the third time. In the mid-1930s Claessens withdrew from the Socialist Party and became the executive secretary and, later, the national chairman of the Social Democratic Federation. Claessens held the position of national chairman until his death in 1954, and also ran unsuccessfully for a number of local and state offices. Claessens taught a variety of subjects at the Rand School of Social Science from the mid-1920s until his death in 1954, including public speaking, psychology, race relations, labor-management relations, socialist theory, politics, anthropology, and sex and society. Claessens also served as an instructor in several evening schools sponsored by various New York City labor unions. The collection contains manuscripts, lecture notes, correspondence, photographs, clippings, and printed ephemera.
Biographical Note
August Claessens (1885-1954) was one of the most influential leaders in the educational and political development of the Socialist Party. Shortly after becoming a socialist in 1909, Claessens helped organize support for the Socialist Party within several New York City labor unions. In the fall of 1917, Claessens was elected to the New York State Assembly. As a representative of one of the Lower Manhattan assembly districts, Claessens drafted and worked for legislation pertaining to child labor, the penal code's procedures for obtaining an admission of quilt, the abolishment of the Volstead Act, the abolishment of the death penalty, and the regulation of police powers in suppressing strikes.
On April 1, 1920, Claessens was one of five socialist assemblymen who were expelled from the State Assembly on the grounds that membership in the Socialist Party constituted disloyalty to the United States. Although legally represented in the fight to retain his office by Charles Evans Hughes, a future United States Supreme Court Chief Justice, Claessens was denied his seat throughout the turbulent period of the Red Scare. In September 1920, Claessens was re-elected to the State Assembly in a special election, but again the anti-socialist forces, led by Assembly Speaker Thaddeus C. Sweet, refused to permit Claessens to take office. Finally, in 1922, Claessens was allowed to take office after being re-elected to the State Assembly for the third time.
In the mid-1930s Claessens withdrew from the Socialist Party and became the executive secretary and, later, the national chairman of the Social Democratic Federation. Claessens held the position of national chairman until his death in 1954. Besides his involvement with the Social Democratic Federation, Claessens also ran unsuccessfully for a number of local and state offices.
Claessens was one of the most active faculty members at the Rand School of Social Science. From the mid-1920s until his death in 1954, Claessens taught courses in such subject areas as public speaking, parliamentary procedure, psychology and social psychology, race relations, labor-management relations, socialist theory, contemporary politics, anthropology, and sex and society. Claessens also served as an instructor in several evening schools sponsored by various New York City labor unions. At these schools, Claessens primarily taught courses in public speaking and labor-management relations.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series. The correspondence is arranged chronologically, the manuscript and lecture notes are arranged alphabetically, and Series III and IV are arranged topically.
I. Correspondence
II. Manuscript and Lecture Notes
III. Photographs and Printed Materials
IV. Biographical Clippings and Published Writings
Scope and Contents
The collection documents August Claessens's involvement with the Socialist Party and his work as a lecturer and New York State assemblyman, primarily from the 1920s to the 1940s. The majority of the collection consists of manuscripts and notes of Claessens's lectures, pamphlets, books, addresses, and statements, with emphasis on themes of labor, socialism, and socialist humor. Other genres of materials include correspondence, photographs, and biographical materials.
The researcher should note that an error was made in the targeting for this collection. On each frame the word "Series" appears adjacent to the frame number. This term should actually be interpreted as "Collection."
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Tamiment Library has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1906 to 1963, are expected to enter the public domain in 2025.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; August Claessens Papers; TAM 021; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from the Rand School Archives, 1962. Earlier provenance information is unknown. The accession numbers 1962.006 and 1962.016 are associated with this collection.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to the fragile nature of the original materials, researchers must use the microfilmed version, with the exception of Box 5; microfilm call number is Film R-7124, Reel 56.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Photographs were separated from this collection during initial processing and were established as a separate collection, the August Claessens Photographs (PHOTOS 069). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the August Claessens Papers (TAM 021). In 2019, materials were rehoused in new acid-free folders and boxes in preparation for offsite storage.