John Williamson (Communist)
Encyclopedia
John Williamson was a Scottish
-born radical best remembered as a top leader of the Communist youth movement in the 1920s in the United States
.
(SLP) in August 1918. He was the SLP's State Secretary for Washington from 1921 to 1922.
In his memoirs, Williamson recalls that he was deeply influenced by the move of the 1922 convention of the underground Communist Party of America to move towards legality and mass work and he joined that group in November or December 1922. He was active in the party's youth section, the Young Workers League
(YWL) and was active as an organizer for the league in Seattle and was a member of the movement's "Legal Political Party," the Workers Party of America
(WPA) from the time of its formation at the end of 1922.
Williamson was elected a delegate to the 2nd National Convention of the YWL in May 1923 and he made the long trip to New York for the gathering. He was there elected to the governing National Executive Committee of the YWL, moving to the headquarters city of Chicago after the convention at the NEC's request. The NEC named Williamson its "National Industrial Organizer," attempting to build a mass movement of young communists among unionized workers. During this interval of organizational poverty, Williamson worked at various dayjobs to make ends meet, conducting his political activities at night. Williamson was a delegate of the YWL to the 3rd National Convention of the WPA at the end of 1923 and was there voted to be one of two delegates to the 4th World Congress of the Young Communist International
in Moscow. Throughout the 1920s, Williamson was a loyalist of the Chicago-centered majority faction of Foster
-Cannon
-Lore
.
After the 4th World Congress, Williamson returned home to Chicago, where he joined a 3 person Secretariat of the YWL, along with Martin Abern
and Oliver Carlson. In 1924 he was made the YWL's representative to the YCI in Moscow. His time there was short, as he returned in September 1924 to assume the role of head of the YWL, a job which he maintained until August 1928, when he was replaced by Sam Darcy for factional reasons. After his removal as Secretary of the YWL, Williamson was again named Industrial Organizer for the group.
Williamson was a delegate to the 5th Enlarged Plenum of the Executive Committee of the Communist International
(ECCI), held in April 1925.
In the fall of 1926, Williamson married Lenore Sarney, a Polish
émigré who was active in the Young Communist movement. In 1930 their marriage came to an end, they remained friendly and Lenore remarried and subsequently settled in the Soviet Union.
From 1933 to 1940, Williamson was the CPUSA's District Organizer in Ohio, during which interval the membership of the district grew from 600 to 3,500.
In 1935 Williamson met Mae Kuperman and in March 1936 they married. They would go on to have two boys, Robert (Bob) and Neil, and would remain together until his death.
Williamson was a supporter of James P. Cannon
's faction during the period in which Cannon and William Z. Foster
were at odds, but he managed to remain in the Communist Party after Cannon's expulsion for Trotskyism in 1928. That same year he spent 9 months in the Soviet Union
with his wife. He was released by the Young Communist League (successor to the YWL) for work in the adult party after the 5th National Convention of that organization, held in April 1929. From 1930, Williamson sat as a member of the governing Central Committee of the Communist Party.
in an attempt by the US Department of Justice to "decapitate" the leadership of the Communist Party USA. He served 5 years in prison and was promptly deported to the UK upon his release in 1955. There he was active in the Communist Party of Great Britain
.
Williamson suffered a serious heart attack in April 1963 and wrote a memoir of his life in the radical movement in 1965, a book eventually published by the Communist Party's International Publishers
in 1969.
The Young Worker (1922-1927)
The Worker/Daily Worker (1922-1938)
Early American Marxism website ( http://www.marxisthistory.org )
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-born radical best remembered as a top leader of the Communist youth movement in the 1920s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early years
John Williamson was born on June 23, 1903 in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a marine engineer who was severely injured in an accident at sea shortly after his child was born. A woodworker and shipbuilder by trade, Williamson only had 8 years of formal education, later attending high school at night. He came to the United States in July 1913, settling in Seattle.Political career
Influenced by a Scottish co-worker, Williamson joined the Socialist Labor Party of AmericaSocialist Labor Party of America
The Socialist Labor Party of America , established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party, is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America, the party changed its name in 1877 and has...
(SLP) in August 1918. He was the SLP's State Secretary for Washington from 1921 to 1922.
In his memoirs, Williamson recalls that he was deeply influenced by the move of the 1922 convention of the underground Communist Party of America to move towards legality and mass work and he joined that group in November or December 1922. He was active in the party's youth section, the Young Workers League
Young Communist League, USA
The Young Communist League USA is the fraternal youth organization of the Communist Party USA. Although the name of the group has changed a number of times over the years, it dates its lineage back to 1920, shortly after the establishment of the first communist parties in America.-Early years:The...
(YWL) and was active as an organizer for the league in Seattle and was a member of the movement's "Legal Political Party," the Workers Party of America
Workers Party of America
The Workers Party of America was the name of the legal party organization used by the Communist Party USA from the last days of 1921 until the middle of 1929. As a legal political party the Workers Party accepted affiliation from independent socialist groups such as the African Blood Brotherhood,...
(WPA) from the time of its formation at the end of 1922.
Williamson was elected a delegate to the 2nd National Convention of the YWL in May 1923 and he made the long trip to New York for the gathering. He was there elected to the governing National Executive Committee of the YWL, moving to the headquarters city of Chicago after the convention at the NEC's request. The NEC named Williamson its "National Industrial Organizer," attempting to build a mass movement of young communists among unionized workers. During this interval of organizational poverty, Williamson worked at various dayjobs to make ends meet, conducting his political activities at night. Williamson was a delegate of the YWL to the 3rd National Convention of the WPA at the end of 1923 and was there voted to be one of two delegates to the 4th World Congress of the Young Communist International
Young Communist International
The Young Communist International was the parallel international youth organization affiliated with the Communist International .-International socialist youth organization before World War I:...
in Moscow. Throughout the 1920s, Williamson was a loyalist of the Chicago-centered majority faction of Foster
William Z. Foster
William Foster was a radical American labor organizer and Marxist politician, whose career included a lengthy stint as General Secretary of the Communist Party USA...
-Cannon
James P. Cannon
James Patrick "Jim" Cannon was an American Trotskyist and a leader of the Socialist Workers Party.Born on February 11, 1890 in Rosedale, Kansas, he joined the Socialist Party of America in 1908 and the Industrial Workers of the World in 1911...
-Lore
Ludwig Lore
Ludwig Lore was an American socialist newspaper editor and politician, best remembered for his tenure as editor of the New Yorker Volkszeitung and role as a factional leader in the early American communist movement...
.
After the 4th World Congress, Williamson returned home to Chicago, where he joined a 3 person Secretariat of the YWL, along with Martin Abern
Martin Abern
Martin Abern was a Marxist politician who was an important leader of the Communist youth movement of the 1920s as well as a founder of the American Trotskyist movement.-Early years:...
and Oliver Carlson. In 1924 he was made the YWL's representative to the YCI in Moscow. His time there was short, as he returned in September 1924 to assume the role of head of the YWL, a job which he maintained until August 1928, when he was replaced by Sam Darcy for factional reasons. After his removal as Secretary of the YWL, Williamson was again named Industrial Organizer for the group.
Williamson was a delegate to the 5th Enlarged Plenum of the Executive Committee of the Communist International
Executive Committee of the Communist International
The Executive Committee of the Communist International, commonly known by its acronym, ECCI, was the governing authority of the Comintern between the World Congresses of that body...
(ECCI), held in April 1925.
In the fall of 1926, Williamson married Lenore Sarney, a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
émigré who was active in the Young Communist movement. In 1930 their marriage came to an end, they remained friendly and Lenore remarried and subsequently settled in the Soviet Union.
From 1933 to 1940, Williamson was the CPUSA's District Organizer in Ohio, during which interval the membership of the district grew from 600 to 3,500.
In 1935 Williamson met Mae Kuperman and in March 1936 they married. They would go on to have two boys, Robert (Bob) and Neil, and would remain together until his death.
Williamson was a supporter of James P. Cannon
James P. Cannon
James Patrick "Jim" Cannon was an American Trotskyist and a leader of the Socialist Workers Party.Born on February 11, 1890 in Rosedale, Kansas, he joined the Socialist Party of America in 1908 and the Industrial Workers of the World in 1911...
's faction during the period in which Cannon and William Z. Foster
William Z. Foster
William Foster was a radical American labor organizer and Marxist politician, whose career included a lengthy stint as General Secretary of the Communist Party USA...
were at odds, but he managed to remain in the Communist Party after Cannon's expulsion for Trotskyism in 1928. That same year he spent 9 months in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
with his wife. He was released by the Young Communist League (successor to the YWL) for work in the adult party after the 5th National Convention of that organization, held in April 1929. From 1930, Williamson sat as a member of the governing Central Committee of the Communist Party.
Smith Act Conviction
In 1949, John Williamson was convicted under the Smith ActSmith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
in an attempt by the US Department of Justice to "decapitate" the leadership of the Communist Party USA. He served 5 years in prison and was promptly deported to the UK upon his release in 1955. There he was active in the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
.
Williamson suffered a serious heart attack in April 1963 and wrote a memoir of his life in the radical movement in 1965, a book eventually published by the Communist Party's International Publishers
International Publishers
International Publishers is a book publishing company based in New York City specializing in Marxist works of economics, political science, and history. The company was established in 1924 by A.A. Heller and Alexander Trachtenberg, using funds earned through a lucrative trade concession granted...
in 1969.
Footnotes
Sources:The Young Worker (1922-1927)
The Worker/Daily Worker (1922-1938)
Early American Marxism website ( http://www.marxisthistory.org )