Job Harriman
Encyclopedia
Job Harriman was an ordained minister who later became an agnostic and a socialist. In 1900 he ran for Vice President of the United States along with Eugene Debs on the ticket of the Socialist Party of America
. He later twice ran for mayor of Los Angeles
, drawing considerable attention and support. He also founded a socialist utopian community called Llano del Rio
in California
, later relocated to Louisiana
.
. He lived on the family farm until he was 18.
Harriman's early life was filled with religious influences by his parents, and after graduating Butler University
in 1884 he went on into the ministry. Harriman gradually came to doubt the ability of the church to fundamentally affect the lives of common people and to see organized religion as a trap. He recalled in 1902:
As Harriman moved away from a belief in spirituality
and towards philosophical materialism, he came into contact with socialist literature, being particularly impressed with the 1886 utopian novel Looking Backwards, by Edward Bellamy
. In 1886 he moved to San Francisco and established there a local Nationalist Club, dedicated to attempting to put Bellamy's ideas into practice in America.
Later, Harriman came into contact with the writings of Karl Marx
, which turned his early Christian socialist
inclinations towards Marxism
.
Job Harriman married the sister of a college roommate, Mary Theodosia Gray. In 1895 the couple had twins, a girl and a boy, with the girl dying as a young child.
Harriman left the church and took up the study of law, becoming a lawyer and establishing his own law firm.
on the SLP ticket in 1898.
Harriman broke with the SLP during the acrimonious split of 1899, which was largely linked to the SLP's insistence on establishing competing socialist dual unions with the existing trade unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
. Harriman thereafter was affiliated with the East Coast-based variant of the Social Democratic Party of America (SDP), a group whose members included Henry Slobodin and Morris Hillquit
.
In 1900 during unity negotiations between the Eastern and Midwestern SDP organizations, Harriman ran for Vice Presidency of the United States on the Social Democratic Party of America ticket along with Presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs
.
Harriman twice ran for Mayor of Los Angeles
on the Socialist ticket during the 1910s, the first time in 1911. He ran again in 1913, coming in first but falling just 800 votes short of a majority, thus forcing a runoff. Harriman was one of the lawyers for the McNamara Brothers, along with Clarence Darrow
. He was unaware of their guilt, and thus was taken by surprise by a plea bargain negotiated by Darrow, which, unfortunately for Harriman, was announced after the general election but before the runoff. His association with the widely reviled McNamaras proved fatal to his campaign, and George Alexander won the runoff election.
, which the group named Llano Del Rio
. The land included water rights — a critical factor due to the location of the land in an oasis in the Mojave Desert
.
Advertisements were taken in the socialist press and shares sold to interested families for $500 cash. In addition, each family was asked to contribute a minimum of $2000 in personal property to a "common storehouse" established for the benefit of the entire community.
Beginning with just five families, by 1914 the Llano community had grown to over 1,000 people. Tents were replaced by adobe
buildings, and various enterprises, such as a sawmill, kiln, cannery, and bakery, were established. The group issued its own periodical called Llano Colonist, with Harriman acting as editor.
Unfortunately, local farmers began to complain that the socialist community was consuming more than its fair share of precious water, resulting in a stream of lawsuits over the issue. Worse yet, the community proved incapable of advancing beyond a very basic economic level, causing discontent among its members. A new location was found in Leesville, Louisiana
in 1918, but the new environs did not suit Harriman and he soon returned home to Los Angeles. The Llano community survived in difficult conditions into the 1930s.
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...
. He later twice ran for mayor of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, drawing considerable attention and support. He also founded a socialist utopian community called Llano del Rio
Llano Del Rio
Llano Del Rio was a commune located in what is now Llano, California east of Palmdale in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County. The charter was issued October 15, 1915 by progressive/socialist political candidate Job Harriman, after he had failed his bid to become the mayor of Los Angeles...
in 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...
, later relocated to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Early years
Job Harriman was born on January 15, 1861 in Clinton County, IndianaClinton County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,866 people, 12,545 households, and 9,057 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 13,267 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
. He lived on the family farm until he was 18.
Harriman's early life was filled with religious influences by his parents, and after graduating Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
in 1884 he went on into the ministry. Harriman gradually came to doubt the ability of the church to fundamentally affect the lives of common people and to see organized religion as a trap. He recalled in 1902:
"It is in doubt and not in faith that the salvation of the world is to be found. Faith is a delusion and a snare: a pitfall, a prison. It intimidates the intellect. With fear of eternal damnation religion crushes intellectual activity; with hero worship it destroys individuality; with hopes for the beyond it prevents the growth of ideals for the present. It makes of us a race of intellectual cowards; it changes but little if any our daily conduct toward each other. But doubt sets us free."
As Harriman moved away from a belief in spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and towards philosophical materialism, he came into contact with socialist literature, being particularly impressed with the 1886 utopian novel Looking Backwards, by Edward Bellamy
Edward Bellamy
Edward Bellamy was an American author and socialist, most famous for his utopian novel, Looking Backward, set in the year 2000. He was a very influential writer during the Gilded Age of United States history.-Early life:...
. In 1886 he moved to San Francisco and established there a local Nationalist Club, dedicated to attempting to put Bellamy's ideas into practice in America.
Later, Harriman came into contact with the writings of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, which turned his early Christian socialist
Christian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
inclinations towards Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
.
Job Harriman married the sister of a college roommate, Mary Theodosia Gray. In 1895 the couple had twins, a girl and a boy, with the girl dying as a young child.
Harriman left the church and took up the study of law, becoming a lawyer and establishing his own law firm.
Political career
Job Harriman was initially a member of the Democratic Party, but as he became conscious of socialist ideas he quit that organization and joined the Socialist Labor Party (SLP). Harriman was a gubernatorial candidate for CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
on the SLP ticket in 1898.
Harriman broke with the SLP during the acrimonious split of 1899, which was largely linked to the SLP's insistence on establishing competing socialist dual unions with the existing trade unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
. Harriman thereafter was affiliated with the East Coast-based variant of the Social Democratic Party of America (SDP), a group whose members included Henry Slobodin and Morris Hillquit
Morris Hillquit
Morris Hillquit was a founder and leader of the Socialist Party of America and prominent labor lawyer in New York City's Lower East Side during the early 20th century.-Early years:...
.
In 1900 during unity negotiations between the Eastern and Midwestern SDP organizations, Harriman ran for Vice Presidency of the United States on the Social Democratic Party of America ticket along with Presidential candidate 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...
.
Harriman twice ran for Mayor of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on the Socialist ticket during the 1910s, the first time in 1911. He ran again in 1913, coming in first but falling just 800 votes short of a majority, thus forcing a runoff. Harriman was one of the lawyers for the McNamara Brothers, along with Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
. He was unaware of their guilt, and thus was taken by surprise by a plea bargain negotiated by Darrow, which, unfortunately for Harriman, was announced after the general election but before the runoff. His association with the widely reviled McNamaras proved fatal to his campaign, and George Alexander won the runoff election.
Llano utopian community
Following the narrow defeat in his second bid for Mayor of Los Angeles, Job Harriman turned his back on electoral politics. He instead sought to establish a self-sufficient community upon socialist principles. Together with a group of like-minded investors he purchased a 2000 acres (8.1 km²) parcel of land in California's Antelope ValleyAntelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
, which the group named Llano Del Rio
Llano Del Rio
Llano Del Rio was a commune located in what is now Llano, California east of Palmdale in the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County. The charter was issued October 15, 1915 by progressive/socialist political candidate Job Harriman, after he had failed his bid to become the mayor of Los Angeles...
. The land included water rights — a critical factor due to the location of the land in an oasis in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
.
Advertisements were taken in the socialist press and shares sold to interested families for $500 cash. In addition, each family was asked to contribute a minimum of $2000 in personal property to a "common storehouse" established for the benefit of the entire community.
Beginning with just five families, by 1914 the Llano community had grown to over 1,000 people. Tents were replaced by adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
buildings, and various enterprises, such as a sawmill, kiln, cannery, and bakery, were established. The group issued its own periodical called Llano Colonist, with Harriman acting as editor.
Unfortunately, local farmers began to complain that the socialist community was consuming more than its fair share of precious water, resulting in a stream of lawsuits over the issue. Worse yet, the community proved incapable of advancing beyond a very basic economic level, causing discontent among its members. A new location was found in Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
in 1918, but the new environs did not suit Harriman and he soon returned home to Los Angeles. The Llano community survived in difficult conditions into the 1930s.
Death and legacy
Job Harriman died on October 26, 1925. He was survived by his wife, Mary Theodosia Gray, and his son Gray Chenoweth Harriman.Writings
- Single Tax vs. Socialism. With James G Maguire and Richard D Taber. New York: American Section, Socialist Labor Party, 1895.
- The Class War in Idaho: The Horrors of the Bull Pen: An Indictment of Combined Capital in Conspiracy with President McKinley, General Merriam and Governor Steunenberg, for their Crimes against the Miners of the Coeur d'Alenes.. New York: Volks-Zeitung Library, vol. 2, no. 4 (July 1, 1900).
- http://debs.indstate.edu/d346s62_1900.pdf The Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance Versus the "Pure and Simple" Trade Union: A Debate Held at the Grand Opera House, New Haven, Conn., November 25, 1900, between Daniel De Leon Representing the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance and the Socialist Labor Party, and Job Harriman Representing the "Pure and Simple" Trade Union and the Social Democratic Party. Stenographically Reported by B. F. Keinard.] New York City: New York Labor News Co., 1900.
- The Socialist Party and the Trade Unions. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Socialist, 1902.
- Lewis-Harriman Debate: Socialist Party vs. Union Labor Party: Simpson Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. With Arthur M. Lewis. Los Angeles: Common Sense Pub. Co., n.d. [1906].
External links
- "A Tribute to Job Harriman," GrayHarriman.com, http://www.grayharriman.com/job_harriman.htm Retrieved September 8, 2009.
- Cecilia Rasmussen, "L.A. Then and Now: A Socialist Who Was Almost Mayor," L.A. Times, October 31, 1999, Sunday, Home Edition. Online at http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/1999w44/msg00026.htm Retrieved September 8, 2009.