End Poverty in California movement
Encyclopedia
Standing for End Poverty in California, EPIC was an effort for well-known muckraking writer and former Socialist Upton Sinclair
to implement socialist reforms through California
's Democratic Party during the Great Depression
by recruiting supporters into the party and then securing that party's nomination for the 1934 California gubernatorial election
.
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in the state, including Louis B. Mayer
, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
movie studio
, who was chair of the California Republican Party in 1932 and 1933. Meanwhile, many moderate Democrats and Republicans alike, who found Sinclair's proposals extreme, rallied around third-party candidate Raymond L. Haight
of the Commonwealth-Progressive Party
The effort to stop Sinclair marked the birth of modern media politics
including the use of ad agencies
, attack ads, motion picture propaganda, and professional campaign
strategists.
, won the election with 1,138,620 votes, or 48%. Raymond L. Haight
took 13% of the vote (302,000 votes), making Merriam a minority governor.
The Sinclair campaign did inspire many young idealists who would become future leaders of the California Democratic Party - like Jerry Voorhis
, who was to serve 10 years in Congress before being defeated by Republican Richard Nixon
- and set the stage for the 1938 election of Democrat Culbert Olson
as Governor. Later State Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk
, who began his political career as Olson's secretary, remembered that EPIC was “the acorn from which evolved the tree of whatever liberalism we have in California.”
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
to implement socialist reforms through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's Democratic Party during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by recruiting supporters into the party and then securing that party's nomination for the 1934 California gubernatorial election
California gubernatorial election, 1934
The California gubernatorial election, 1934 was held on November 6, 1934. Held in the midst of the Great Depression, the 1934 election was amongst the most controversial in the state's political history, putting conservative Republican Frank Merriam against former Socialist Party member turned...
.
Basis
The EPIC plan was based on Sinclair's proposal that the state of California take over idle factories and farmland, which would then be run as cooperatives in the theme of production for use, instead of production for profit. The idea was to use these cooperatives to put the unemployed back to work. To run the cooperatives, Sinclair proposed the formation of an agency to be called the California Authority for Production. The proposal received widespread attention, and supporters formed EPIC clubs to promote it.Opposition
Sinclair's movement aroused the strong opposition of business leaders and RepublicansRepublican 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...
in the state, including Louis B. Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
, who was chair of the California Republican Party in 1932 and 1933. Meanwhile, many moderate Democrats and Republicans alike, who found Sinclair's proposals extreme, rallied around third-party candidate Raymond L. Haight
Raymond L. Haight
Raymond LeRoy Haight was an American lawyer and politician from California. Involved in the Republican and Commonwealth-Progressive parties, Haight ran as a third party candidate during the 1934 California gubernatorial election.-Biography:Haight was born in San Jose, California to George Haight...
of the Commonwealth-Progressive Party
Progressive Party (United States, 1924)
The Progressive Party of 1924 was a new party created as a vehicle for Robert M. La Follette, Sr. to run for president in the 1924 election. It did not run candidates for other offices, and it disappeared after the election except in Wisconsin. Its name resembles the 1912 Progressive Party, which...
The effort to stop Sinclair marked the birth of modern media politics
Political media
Political media are communication vehicles owned, ruled, managed, or otherwise influenced by political entities, meant to propagate views of the related entity. A similar term, normative media, emphasizes technical and social characteristics of the media itself in shaping decisions...
including the use of ad agencies
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
, attack ads, motion picture propaganda, and professional campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
strategists.
Results
Upton Sinclair received 879,537 votes, or 37% of the vote in the 1934 election. His Republican opponent, Frank MerriamFrank Merriam
Frank Finley Merriam was an American politician who served as the 28th governor of California from June 2, 1934 until January 2, 1939...
, won the election with 1,138,620 votes, or 48%. Raymond L. Haight
Raymond L. Haight
Raymond LeRoy Haight was an American lawyer and politician from California. Involved in the Republican and Commonwealth-Progressive parties, Haight ran as a third party candidate during the 1934 California gubernatorial election.-Biography:Haight was born in San Jose, California to George Haight...
took 13% of the vote (302,000 votes), making Merriam a minority governor.
The Sinclair campaign did inspire many young idealists who would become future leaders of the California Democratic Party - like Jerry Voorhis
Jerry Voorhis
Horace Jeremiah "Jerry" Voorhis was a Democratic politician from California. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1947, representing the 12th Congressional district in Los Angeles County...
, who was to serve 10 years in Congress before being defeated by Republican Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
- and set the stage for the 1938 election of Democrat Culbert Olson
Culbert Olson
Culbert Levy Olson was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Olson was involved in Utah and California politics and was elected as the 29th Governor of California from 1939 to 1943.-Personal background:...
as Governor. Later State Supreme Court Justice Stanley Mosk
Stanley Mosk
Stanley Mosk was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court for 37 years , and holds the record for the longest-serving justice on that court. Before sitting on the Supreme Court, he served as Attorney General of California and as a trial court judge, among other governmental positions...
, who began his political career as Olson's secretary, remembered that EPIC was “the acorn from which evolved the tree of whatever liberalism we have in California.”
Candidates supported by EPIC
- John W. BaumgartnerJohn W. BaumgartnerJohn Walter Baumgartner was a civil engineer who was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council from 1933 to 1945.-Biography:...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1933–35 - Parley Parker Christensen, Utah and California politician, Esperantist
- Delamere Francis McCloskeyDelamere Francis McCloskeyDelamere Francis McCloskey was a Canadian-born San Fernando Valley attorney who represented the 1st District on the Los Angeles City Council from 1941 to 1945.-Biography:...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1941–43
External links
- Upton Sinclair, The Literary DigestLiterary DigestThe Literary Digest was an influential general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, Public Opinion and Current Opinion.-History:...
, October 13, 1934 End Poverty in California: The EPIC Movement