THE SOCIALIST LABOR PARTY OF AMERICA

(1876-1926)

1877-79 Officers of the SLP

National Corresponding Secretary—

Phillip Van Patten (Ohio)

National Financial Secretary—

John Ehmann (Ohio)

1880-81 Officers of the SLP

National Corresponding Secretary—

Phillip Van Patten (Ohio)

National Executive Committee:

Board of Supervision:

1882-83 Officers of the SLP

National Corresponding Secretary—

Phillip Van Patten(Ohio)

National Executive Committee:

Board of Supervision:

Van Patten abruptly disappeared on April 22, 1883; he was replaced by Jakob Schneider, who served as National Corresponding Secretary on a pro tem basis until June 1883, before being replaced by Hugo Vogt in October 1883. Vogt served until the 4h National Convention of December 1883, which abolished the position of National Corresponding Secretary. The post was again revived by the 5th National Convention of 1885.

1884-85 Officers of the SLP

National Executive Committee:

Board of Supervision:

There was no National Corresponding Secretary during the time of its abolition by the 4th National Convention of December 1883 and its reestablishment by the 5th National Convention of December 1885.

1885-87 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

W.L. Rosenberg (New York)

National Executive Committee:

Board of Supervision:

1887-89 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

W.L. Rosenberg (New York)

National Committee:

Hinze (New York)

Sauter (New York)

Gericke (New York)

Board of Supervision:

In September 1889, Section New York attempted to recall the sitting National Secretary and National Committee and replace them with the following group (closely associated with the New Yorker Volkszeitung):

National Secretary—

Sergei E. Schevitsch (New York)

National Committee:

Otto Reiner (New York)

C. Ibsen (New York)

R. Praast (New York)

The recalled National Committee refused to recognize the legitimacy of Section New York's action and a party crisis erupted; two competing “7th National Congresses” were held in October of 1889 as a result.

1889-93 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

Benjamin J. Greutsch (New York)

National Executive Committee:

Board of Supervision:

In September 1891, Benjamin Gretsch resigned as National Secretary of the SLP to practice law. He was replaced by a New York bookbinder named Henry Kuhn, who would be one of the mainstays of the organization for the next 25 years.

1893-96 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

Henry Kuhn(New York)

Editor of The People—

Daniel DeLeon(New York)

National Executive Committee (New York):

Charles B. Copp

Charles Franz

Adolf Jablinowsky

Charles Luck

William N. Reed

Henry Stahl

August Waldinger

Board of Grievances (Boston):

The 1893 Convention changed the name of the Board of Supervision to the “Board of Grievances.”

1896-1899 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

Henry Kuhn (New York)

Editor of The People—

Daniel DeLeon (New York)

Delegate to 1900 International Congress—

Lucien Sanial (New York)

National Executive Committee (New York):

Alvan S. Brown

Arthur Keep

John J. Kinneally

C.H. Matchett

Patrick Murphy

Lucien Sanial

Henry Stahl

This NEC resigned en masse early in 1899 as part of the legal fight with the dissident SLP Right for control of The People. This was the result of a successful injunction placed on the standing NEC against publishing that organ. Since the injunction was placed upon the members of the NEC as individuals rather than upon the party itself, it was decided to stand aside as one and to be replaced by a new group of individuals. National Secretary Henry Kuhn did not resign as part of this strategy.

1899 Replacement NEC (New York):

Eber Forbes

Max Forker

Dow Hosman

William H. Wherry

John Keveney

Julian Pierce

Joseph H. Sauter

National Board of Appeals (Cleveland):

1924-28 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

Arnold Petersen (New York)

Editor of The Weekly People—

Olive M. Johnson (New York)

National Executive Committee:

M.J. Michel (California)

John P. Johnson (Indiana)

Fred Koch (Illinois)

Peter O'Rourke (Massachusetts)

Mrs. William N. Nelson (Minnesota)

J.C. Butterworth (New Jersey)

P.E. DeLee (New York)

James Goward (Ohio)

William Kruczynna (Pennsylvania)

Herman Olson (Washington)

Theodore Gramaticoff —Bulgarian Federation

Alexander Kudlik

Ernest Kellman

S. Kontrin —South Slavic Federataion

1928-32 Officers of the SLP

National Secretary—

Arnold Petersen (New York)

Editor of The Weekly People—

Olive M. Johnson (New York)

National Executive Committee:

-- Bulgarian Federation

-- Hungarian Federataion

-- Scandinavian Federataion

-- South Slavic Federataion

Note: at the 1928 convention, it was noted that some 1150 of “about 2,000” total members of the SLP were in the Bulgarian, South Slavic, or Hungarian Federations. The Scandinavia Federation was said to be undergoing “internal difficulties” and no membership figures were provided for the group.