Eugene Debs, 1881-1958
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Scope and Content
This series was compiled by Ruth Le Prade to include both her correspondence with Theodore and Eugene Debs and the records from the publication of Debs and the Poets. These records include typescripts and manuscripts of the pieces included in the book, correspondence with the authors of the pieces and Upton Sinclair (the book’s publisher). Also included in this series are pamphlets and ephemera about Debs, newspaper clippings by or about Debs, and a campaign button from his 1920 presidential campaign.
Dates
- Creation: 1881-1958
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
Biographical note
Eugene Victor Debs was born November 5, 1855 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He became a labor organizer at 20, when he became a charter member of the local lodge of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. He was sentenced to jail in 1895 after being held in contempt of court in connection with the Pullman Strike in Chicago. Debs ran for president of the United States five times, always on the Socialist Party of America’s ticket. He ran in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920. In 1912, he received 6% of the popular vote; in 1920, he received 3% of the vote, despite the fact that at that time he was incarcerated in Atlanta, Georgia, for violating the Espionage Act of 1917. His sentence was commuted by President Warren G. Harding on Christmas Day, 1921, but his health was failing and he never really recovered. Debs passed away on October 20, 1926 in a sanitarium outside of Chicago, Illinois.
Extent
From the Collection: 104 Linear Feet (103 boxes, 1 map-case folder)
Repository Details
Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States
specol@usc.edu