Charles Henry Vail
Encyclopedia
Charles Henry Vail was an American
Universalist
clergyman and Christian socialist political activist and writer. Vail is best remembered as the first National Organizer of the Socialist Party of America
and as a candidate of that party for Governor of New Jersey
.
on April 28, 1866. He attended public school in Tully and learned the trade of barrelmaker
upon completion, working with his father for several years in that field. Vail also showed considerable aptitude in the field of music and so he went to New York City
to study under Dr. H.R. Palmer, a course which he completed in 1885. Thereafter, he taught large classes in both vocal and instrumental music throughout New York City. In addition to group lessons, Vail conducted private lessons in voice, banjo
, guitar
, clarinet
, and organ
. In 1887 he moved to Syracuse, New York
, where he continued to teach music for the next two years.
Although raised as an orthodox Protestant in the Disciple Church
, Vail came to question some of its fundamental teachings and he turned to Unitarian Universalism
, ironically spurred to this belief by an anti-Universalist book purchased by his parents to dissuade him from that belief system.
Vail became an enthusiastic adherent of Unitarianism and came to consider the propagation of its message to be his life mission. Vail enrolled in the Theological School of St. Lawrence University
at Canton, New York
. He graduated in 1892 with a Bachelor of Divinity
degree, but remained through 1893 to take a graduate course.
In August 1888, Vail married Mary C. Ellis of Ousco, New York, but his wife fell ill and lived only a short time. He was married a second time in July 1892 to Niva Bedell of Geneva, New York
, a classmate from divinity school
and fellow graduate of the class of 1892.
Vail's first pastorate was in Albany, New York
, where he spent a year at All Souls Church. He then moved to the First Universalist Church of Jersey City, New Jersey
, remaining in that post for the next seven years.
, Vail's political opinions shifted fairly rapidly, turning to socialism
. At the end of 1900, Vail resigned his pastorate and accepted a job as the National Organizer of the Social Democratic Party of America, forerunner of the Socialist Party of America
. In this capacity, Vail toured the United States speaking on various socialist topics for seven of the first nine months of 1901, traveling over 14,000 miles and visiting 19 states. He was accompanied by his wife, who often shared the platform with him.
On January 1, 1901, Vail was nominated by the Socialist Party of New Jersey
as its candidate for Governor of New Jersey
. After resting for the month of September, Vail hit the campaign trail. In the immediate aftermath of the August assassination
of President
William McKinley
by Leon Czolgosz
, an anarchist
, Vail faced hostile crowds and suffered cancelled meetings by those who confused the doctrines of socialism and anarchism. Vail refused to bow to intimidation and delivered 29 addresses during the course of the 1901 campaign. By the end of the year, Vail had toured 25 states and delivered 241 public lectures.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Universalist
Universalist Church of America
The Universalist Church of America was a Christian Universalist religious denomination in the United States . Known from 1866 as the Universalist General Convention, the name was changed to the Universalist Church of America in 1942...
clergyman and Christian socialist political activist and writer. Vail is best remembered as the first National Organizer of the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
and as a candidate of that party for Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
.
Early years
Charles H. Vail was born in Tully, New YorkTully (village), New York
Tully is a village in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population was 924 at the 2000 census. The name of the village is derived from the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero....
on April 28, 1866. He attended public school in Tully and learned the trade of barrelmaker
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
upon completion, working with his father for several years in that field. Vail also showed considerable aptitude in the field of music and so he went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to study under Dr. H.R. Palmer, a course which he completed in 1885. Thereafter, he taught large classes in both vocal and instrumental music throughout New York City. In addition to group lessons, Vail conducted private lessons in voice, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
. In 1887 he moved to Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, where he continued to teach music for the next two years.
Although raised as an orthodox Protestant in the Disciple Church
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
, Vail came to question some of its fundamental teachings and he turned to Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
, ironically spurred to this belief by an anti-Universalist book purchased by his parents to dissuade him from that belief system.
Vail became an enthusiastic adherent of Unitarianism and came to consider the propagation of its message to be his life mission. Vail enrolled in the Theological School of St. Lawrence University
Theological School of St. Lawrence University
The Theological School of St. Lawrence University was founded in 1856 at St. Lawrence University and closed in 1965, one of the three Universalist seminaries .-Closure:...
at Canton, New York
Canton (village), New York
Canton is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The village is centrally located in both the town of Canton and the county of St. Lawrence. The population was 5,882 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of St. Lawrence County...
. He graduated in 1892 with a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree, but remained through 1893 to take a graduate course.
In August 1888, Vail married Mary C. Ellis of Ousco, New York, but his wife fell ill and lived only a short time. He was married a second time in July 1892 to Niva Bedell of Geneva, New York
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
, a classmate from divinity school
Divinity School
Divinity School may refer to:* The common noun, divinity school* When used as a proper noun, may be an abbreviated reference to one of the following:** Beeson Divinity School** Berkeley Divinity School** Brite Divinity School...
and fellow graduate of the class of 1892.
Vail's first pastorate was in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, where he spent a year at All Souls Church. He then moved to the First Universalist Church of Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, remaining in that post for the next seven years.
Political career
Although raised as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Vail's political opinions shifted fairly rapidly, turning to socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. At the end of 1900, Vail resigned his pastorate and accepted a job as the National Organizer of the Social Democratic Party of America, forerunner of the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
. In this capacity, Vail toured the United States speaking on various socialist topics for seven of the first nine months of 1901, traveling over 14,000 miles and visiting 19 states. He was accompanied by his wife, who often shared the platform with him.
On January 1, 1901, Vail was nominated by the Socialist Party of New Jersey
Socialist Party of New Jersey
The Socialist Party of New Jersey is the state chapter of the Socialist Party USA in the U.S. state of New Jersey.The Socialist Party of America voted 73:34 to change its name to Social Democrats, USA in December of 1972. SPUSA was founded in 1973, after which the SPNJ was founded.The Socialist...
as its candidate for Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
. After resting for the month of September, Vail hit the campaign trail. In the immediate aftermath of the August assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
by Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz
Leon Czolgosz was the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley.In the last few years of his life, he claimed to have been heavily influenced by anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman.- Early life :...
, an anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, Vail faced hostile crowds and suffered cancelled meetings by those who confused the doctrines of socialism and anarchism. Vail refused to bow to intimidation and delivered 29 addresses during the course of the 1901 campaign. By the end of the year, Vail had toured 25 states and delivered 241 public lectures.
Works
- National Ownership of Railways. New York: Humboldt Library, 1897.
- Modern Socialism. New York: Commonwealth Co., 1897.
- Principles of Scientific Socialism. New York: Commonwealth Co., 1899; Reissued by Kerr, 1908.
- The Industrial Evolution. New York: Commonwealth Co., 1899.
- Mission of the Working Class. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1899.
- The Trust Question: Its Political and Economic Aspects. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1900.
- The Socialist Movement. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1902.
- Socialism and the Negro Problem. New York: Comrade Publishing Co., 1902.
- The Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry. New York: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., 1909.
- The World's Saviors: Analogies in their Lives Examined and Interpreted: A Study in Comparative Religions. London: Fowler, 1913.
- http://www.archive.org/details/militanttriumpha00vailialaMilitant and Triumphant Socialism. Chicago: Co-operative Printing Co., 1913.