Bertha Hale White
Encyclopedia
Bertha Hale White, was a teacher and journalist, and a prominent functionary of the Socialist Party of America
. After serving for more than a decade in the party's National Office, in February 1924 White was named Executive Secretary of the SPA, becoming the first woman to hold that position. She resigned the post, citing reasons of health, late in 1925. In 1926, White married lecturer and writer Judson King and took his name, becoming Bertha Hale King.
, the daughter of a farmer. She attended primary school in Golden City, Missouri
and High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas
. Upon graduation, White attended the Buckner Normal School in Salem, Arkansas
and took correspondence courses
from the University of Chicago
to become a teacher.
She worked variously as a teacher and journalist following the completion of her education.
(SPA) in 1913, becoming Assistant National Secretary of the Socialist Party of America in 1919 and continuing in that role until 1924. During this interval, White served as the office manager for the Socialist Party at its national headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, handling the day-to-day affairs of the organization.
In February 1924, the National Executive Committee of the SPA gathered for its regular quarterly session at the Hotel Majestic in St. Louis, Missouri
. There the NEC received the February 1, 1924, resignation of Otto Branstetter of Oklahoma
as Executive Secretary, a man who had characterized himself as "tired and worn out." The NEC named Assistant Executive Secretary White as his replacement on February 9, making her the first woman to head the Socialist Party of America.
Bertha Hale While resigned as Executive Secretary of the Socialist Party on November 4, 1925, citing reasons of health. She was succeeded by lecturer and writer George R. Kirkpatrick on a temporary basis.
In accepting her resignation, Socialist Party National Chairman Eugene V. Debs
drafted a testimonial thanking White for her services. Debs declared:
White married writer and political activist Judson King
(1872–1958) in 1926. After that date, she was known as Bertha Hale King and seems to have distanced herself from organized socialist activity.
in Washington, D.C.
, where they are today available for the use of scholars without copyright restriction.
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...
. After serving for more than a decade in the party's National Office, in February 1924 White was named Executive Secretary of the SPA, becoming the first woman to hold that position. She resigned the post, citing reasons of health, late in 1925. In 1926, White married lecturer and writer Judson King and took his name, becoming Bertha Hale King.
Early years
Bertha Hale White was born in Nashville, IllinoisNashville, Illinois
Nashville is a city in Washington County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,258. It is the county seat of Washington County.-Geography:Nashville is located at ....
, the daughter of a farmer. She attended primary school in Golden City, Missouri
Golden City, Missouri
Golden City is a city in Golden City Township, Barton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 884 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Golden City is located at ....
and High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
. Upon graduation, White attended the Buckner Normal School in Salem, Arkansas
Salem, Arkansas
Salem is the name of four places in the U.S. state of Arkansas:*Salem, Fulton County, Arkansas, a city in northern Arkansas*Salem, Ouachita County, Arkansas*Salem, Pike County, Arkansas...
and took correspondence courses
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
to become a teacher.
She worked variously as a teacher and journalist following the completion of her education.
Political career
White went to work in the national office of the Socialist Party of AmericaSocialist 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...
(SPA) in 1913, becoming Assistant National Secretary of the Socialist Party of America in 1919 and continuing in that role until 1924. During this interval, White served as the office manager for the Socialist Party at its national headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, handling the day-to-day affairs of the organization.
In February 1924, the National Executive Committee of the SPA gathered for its regular quarterly session at the Hotel Majestic in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. There the NEC received the February 1, 1924, resignation of Otto Branstetter of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
as Executive Secretary, a man who had characterized himself as "tired and worn out." The NEC named Assistant Executive Secretary White as his replacement on February 9, making her the first woman to head the Socialist Party of America.
Bertha Hale While resigned as Executive Secretary of the Socialist Party on November 4, 1925, citing reasons of health. She was succeeded by lecturer and writer George R. Kirkpatrick on a temporary basis.
In accepting her resignation, Socialist Party National Chairman Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
drafted a testimonial thanking White for her services. Debs declared:
"As our National Executive Secretary, Mrs. White has genuinely distinguished herself as a capable executive officer, managing the office with high efficiency and representing the National Office with dignity and resourcefulness reflecting great credit upon our party. * * *
"Her beautiful comradeliness, her never-failing, uncomplaining cooperation, her unusual dignity as our representative, and her splendid personal worth have endeared Mrs. White to us, and we deeply and sincerely regret her decision to resign as our National Executive Secretary.... Our affection for Mrs. White is equaled only by our feeling of gratitude and admiration for her truly beautiful and most capable cooperation with us."
White married writer and political activist Judson King
Judson King
Judson King was a lecturer, writer, and political consultant. He was director of the National Popular Government League during the period 1933-58.-Biography:...
(1872–1958) in 1926. After that date, she was known as Bertha Hale King and seems to have distanced herself from organized socialist activity.
Death and legacy
In 1959, Bertha Hale King donated the extensive papers of her late husband to the Manuscript Division of the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where they are today available for the use of scholars without copyright restriction.
Works
While Bertha Hale White did not publish any books or pamphlets in her lifetime, she was an occasional contributor of articles to the Socialist press.- "What Will You Do With It?" The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 1, no. 4 (October 15, 1920), pp. 6–7.
- "The Thin Red Line," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 2, no. 8 (September 1921), pp. 4–5.
- "The Enemy Within," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 4, no. 3 (March 1923), pp. 5–8. —Accusation that Communist Party leader Alexander Stoklitsky was an employee of a detective agency.
- "The Legion Again," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 4, no. 10 (October 1923), pp. 13–14.
- "The Socialist Party in the Coming Campaign," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 5, no. 2 (February 1924), pp. 4–5.
- "'Wait a While?' Impossible!" The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 5, no. 4 (April 1924), pg. 4.
- "Looking Forward," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 5, no. 11 (November 1924), pp. 3–4.
- "The Chicago Conventions," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 6, no. 3 (March 1925), pp. 3–5.
- "Report to the National Convention of the Socialist Party: Chicago, February 23–24, 1925," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 6, no. 3 (March 1925), pp. 8–12.
- "The New Plan to Build the Party," The Socialist World [Chicago], vol. 6, no. 5 (May 1925), pp. 2–4.