Harry W. Laidler - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Harry Wellington Laidler (1884–1970) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

socialist functionary, writer, magazine editor, and politician. He is best remembered as Executive Director of the League for Industrial Democracy

League for Industrial Democracy

The League for Industrial Democracy , from 1960-1965 known as the Students for a Democratic Society , was founded in 1905 by a group of notable socialists including Harry W. Laidler, Jack London, Norman Thomas, Upton Sinclair, and J.G. Phelps Stokes...

, successor to the Intercollegiate Socialist Society

Intercollegiate Socialist Society

The Intercollegiate Socialist Society was the a Socialist student organization from 1905-1921. It attracted many prominent intellectuals and writers and acted as the unofficial Socialist Party of America student wing...

, and for his close political association with perennial Socialist Party

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...

Presidential

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....

nominee Norman Thomas

Norman Thomas

Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...

Early years

Harry W. Laidler was born February 18, 1884, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a salesman. The Laidler family was comfortable, middle-class, and politically liberal. Young Harry attended public school in Brooklyn, before graduating to attend Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...

, from which he obtained a Bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

in 1907.

Upon graduation, Laidler worked as a reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper, attending Brooklyn Law School

Brooklyn Law School

Brooklyn Law School is a law school located in Brooklyn Heights, in Downtown Brooklyn, New York.-History:Founded in 1901 by William Payson Richardson and Norman P. Heffley, Brooklyn Law School was the first law school on Long Island. Using space provided by Heffley’s business school, the law...

at night. Laidler's graduation from law school

Law school

A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...

in 1910 also marked the end of his career as a news reporter. He subsequently enrolled in Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

in 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...

, from which he obtained his Ph.D.

Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

in 1914.

Political career

Harry Laidler was a committed socialist from his teenage years, enrolling in the Socialist Party of America

Socialist Party of America

in 1903. In 1905 became a founding member of the Intercollegiate Socialist Society

Intercollegiate Socialist Society

(ISS), a national organization dedicated to advancing the study of socialism on college campuses around the country through lectures, debates, and publications. Laidler was named to the ISS's executive committee as a representative of undergraduates. Upon his graduation from law school in 1910, he was named Secretary of the ISS, serving as well as editor of its magazine, The Intercollegiate Socialist, from the time of its launch in 1913. He continued to edit this publication and its successor, The Socialist Review, until 1921.

In 1921, with much of the youth section of the socialist movement departed to the Communist Party of America and Communist Labor Party, the ISS determined to change its name to the League for Industrial Democracy

League for Industrial Democracy

(LID). The name change marked a shifting of orientation, from an exclusive concentration upon college campuses to bringing socialist ideas to trade unions and the general public. Harry Laidler was named the Executive Director of the revamped organization — a position which he would continue to hold until 1957.

Laidler was a close associate of pacifist minister Norman Thomas

Norman Thomas

Norman Mattoon Thomas was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.-Early years:...

in the LID. Thomas was a fellow New Yorker born in the same year as Laidler, and the pair shared a middle-class upbringing and a rather academic and technocratic view towards the American Socialist movement. A trusted confidante, Laidler helped to manage Thomas' 1928 and 1932 runs for President as the nominee of the Socialist Party.

During the faction fight between a Left Wing loyal to Thomas and an organized Old Guard faction

Old Guard faction

The Old Guard faction was an organized grouping of Marxists in the Socialist Party of America who sought to retain the organization's traditional orientation towards electoral politics by fighting generally younger party members who factionally organized to promote greater efforts at direct action...

that wracked the Socialist Party from 1934 to 1936, Laidler played a key role for the young insurgents, running for and winning election as State Secretary of the Socialist Party of New York in a hotly contested race with Old Guard leader Louis Waldman

Louis Waldman

Louis Waldman was a leading figure in the Socialist Party of America from the late 1910s and through the middle 1930s, a founding member of the Social Democratic Federation, and a prominent New York labor lawyer.-Early years:...

.

Laidler was president of the National Bureau for Economic Research from 1930 to 1932 and again from 1948 to 1949. He also served as head of its Board of Directors from 1932 to 1934. He frequently contributed book reviews to scholarly journals

Academic journal

An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...

in this period, a long list which included the American Journal of Sociology
American Journal of Sociology
The American Journal of Sociology was established in 1895 by Albion Small and is the oldest academic journal of sociology in the United States. The journal is attached to the University of Chicago's sociology department and it is published bimonthly by The University of Chicago Press. Its...

, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, The Journal of Political Economy, and the American Economic Review
American Economic Review
The American Economic Review is a peer-reviewed academic journal of economics publishing seven issues annually by the American Economic Association. First published in 1911, it is considered one of the most prestigious journals in the field. The current editor-in-chief is Penny Goldberg . The...

.

Laidler was twice a candidate on the Socialist Party ticket, running for Governor of New York

Governor of New York

The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...

in 1936 and for U.S. Senator from New York in 1938. He was later a successful candidate of the American Labor Party

American Labor Party

The American Labor Party was a political party in the United States established in 1936 which was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party who had established themselves as the Social Democratic...

for New York City Council

New York City Council

The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...

in 1940, serving a 2-year term as an alderman.

Death and legacy

Harry Laidler died on July 14, 1970, two years after his friend Norman Thomas.

Books and pamphlets

Boycotts and the Labor Struggle: Economic and Legal Aspects. New York: John Lane Co., 1914. —reissued 1968
The British Co-operative Movement. New York: Co-operative League of America, 1917.
Public Ownership Throughout the World: A Survey of the Extent of Government Control and Operation. New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1918. —reissued 1924
Study Courses in Socialism. New York: Intercollegiate Socialist Society, 1919.
Socialism in Thought and Action. New York: Macmillan, 1920.
Recent Developments in Socialism: With Bibliographies and Directory. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1922.
Public Ownership, Here and Abroad, Before, during and After the War. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1923.
How America Lives: A Handbook of Industrial Facts. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1924.
Roads to Freedom: A Syllabus for Discussion Groups. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1924.
Canada Shows How to Manage Electrical Power. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1924.
The Coming of a Labor President to Mexico. Richmond, IN: n.p., 1925.
A History of Socialist Thought. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1927.
Unemployment and Its Remedies. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1931.
Concentration of Control in American Industry. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1931.
The Practical Program of Socialism. Girard, KS: Haldeman-Julius Publications, 1931.
The Road Ahead: A Primer of Capitalism and Socialism. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1932.
Incentives Under Capitalism and Socialism. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1933.
The City for the People. Chicago: Socialist Party, 1933.
Socialism. Chicago: Socialist Party, 1934.
An Appeal to White Collar Workers and the Professions. New York: Socialist Party, n.d. [c. 1934].
Slash Your Electric Bills. New York: Socialist Party, n.d. [c. 1934].
Socializing Our Democracy: A New Appraisal of Socialism. New York: Harper and Bros., 1935.
America in the Depression: Supplement of How America Lives. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1935.
America in the Depression and Under the New Deal. New York, Council for Social Action, 1935.
A Program for Modern America. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1936.
Putting the Constitution to Work. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1936.
Acceptance Speech. New York: Socialist Party, 1936.
American Socialism: Its Aims and Practical Program. New York: Harper and Bros., 1937.
The Consumer Cooperative Movement: A Social Interpretation. With Wallace J. Campbell. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1937. —reissued 1940.
Toward a Farmer-Labor Party. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1938.
Vote a Real Labor Ticket! New York: Socialist Party of New York, 1938.
The Federal Government and Functional Democracy. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1940.
Maximum Production: Warfare and Welfare. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1942.
Social-Economic Movements: An Historical and Comparative Survey of Socialism, Communism, Co-operation, Utopianism and Other Systems of Reform and Reconstruction. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1944. —reissued 1968 as "History of Socialism."
British Labor's Rise to Power. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1945.
Toward Nationalization of Industry. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1947.
Labor Governments at Work: British, Scandinavian, Australasian. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1948.
Our Changing Industrial Incentives. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1949.
Freedom and the Welfare State. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1950.
Socialism in the United States: A Brief History. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1952.

Collections edited

State Socialism, Pro and Con: Official Documents and Other Authoritative Selections Showing the World-Wide Replacement of Private by Governmental Industry Before and During the War. With William English Walling. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1917.
New Tactics in Social Conflict. With Norman Thomas. New York: Vanguard Press
Vanguard Press
The Vanguard Press was a United States publishing house established with a $100,000 grant from the left wing American Fund for Public Service, better known as the Garland Fund. Throughout the 1920s, Vanguard Press issued an array of books on radical topics, including studies of the Soviet Union,...

/ League for Industrial Democracy, 1926.
Prosperity? With Norman Thomas. New York: Vanguard Press/ League for Industrial Democracy, 1927.
The Socialism of Our Times: A Symposium. With Norman Thomas. New York: Vanguard Press/ League for Industrial Democracy, 1929.
Socialist Planning and a Socialist Program: A Symposium. New York: Falcon Press, 1932.
Post-War Planning for Peace and Full Employment: Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1941.
The Role of the Races in Our Future Civilization: Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1942.
Post-War Planning for Social Justice: A Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1942.
The Third Freedom: Freedom from Want. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1943.
Forty Years of Education: The Task Ahead: A Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1945.
A Program for Labor and Progressives: Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1946.
World Cooperation and Social Progress: A Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1951.
Needed: A Moral Awakening in America: A Symposium. New York: League for Industrial Democracy, 1952.

Articles

"The New Capitalism and the Socialist," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 149 (May 1930), pp. 12–21.
"More Government in Business," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 178, (March 1935), pp. 148–154.
"New Zealand's Democracy," Far Eastern Survey, vol. 13, no. 10 (May 17, 1944), pg. 91.