Maynard C. Krueger
Encyclopedia
Maynard C. Krueger was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

 politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

 and an economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 at 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...

. He is best remembered as the 1940 Vice Presidential nominee of the Socialist Party of America
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...

.

Early years

Maynard Krueger was born January 16, 1906 on a farm near Alexandria, Missouri
Alexandria, Missouri
Alexandria is a city in Clark County, Missouri, USA. The population was 166 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1848 and is named after Alexandria, in Egypt.Alexandria is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area....

, in 1906.

A gifted student, Krueger completed his high school work at the aged of 15. He entered the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

, from which he received an Bachelor of Arts degree in 1926 and a Masters degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 in 1927.

Career

An instructor at the University of Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1932, Krueger also spent time at the universities of Berlin, Paris, and Geneva.

In 1932, Krueger accepted a position at 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...

 as an Assistant Professor, initially lecturing in Sociology under Edward Shils
Edward Shils
Edward Shils was a Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and in Sociology at the University of Chicago and reputedly an influential sociologist. He was known for his research on the role of intellectuals and their relations to power and public policy...

. Soon moving to the Economics Department, Krueger became an Associate Professor in 1947, a full Professor in 1965, and Emeritus in 1977. He gained a measure of public recognition during the 1930s as a frequent participant in the University of Chicago's regular Round Table radio broadcasts.

Krueger was involved with many left-wing organizations such as the Socialist Party of America
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...

 and the Chicago Workers Committee on Unemployment. During the election campaign of 1932, Krueger served as the National Director of Research for the Socialist Party. Krueger was also active in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 movement, serving three times as a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...

 during the decade of the 1930s. He was also active in the Chicago Federation of Labor
Chicago Federation of Labor
The Chicago Federation of Labor is an umbrella organization for unions in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is a subordinate body of the AFL-CIO, and as of 2011 has about 320 affiliated member unions representing half a million union members in Cook County....

 during 1936 and 1937.

During the Socialist Party's faction fight of the 1930s, Krueger was an active member of the so-called "Militant" faction
Militant faction
The Militant faction was an organized grouping of Marxists in the Socialist Party of America who sought to steer that organization from its orientation towards electoral politics and towards direct action and revolutionary socialism. The faction emerged during 1930 and 1931 and achieved practical...

 of young Marxists who sought to turn the SP to the left. In August 1933, he was a delegate at the Socialist International Congress at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, where he advocated arming the proletariat
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...

.

In 1940
United States presidential election, 1940
The United States presidential election of 1940 was fought in the shadow of World War II as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression. Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt , a Democrat, broke with tradition and ran for a third term, which became a major issue...

, Krueger was the Socialist Party's candidate for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

, running with 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:...

. Thomas and Krueger received 116,599 votes (0.2% of the total). In 1948, Krueger ran as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois' 2nd congressional district, receiving 4,566 votes (2.52%).

Krueger was on the Executive Committee of the Socialist Party for many years, serving as the SP's National Chairman from 1942 to 1946.

In 1958, Krueger won the University of Chicago's Quantrell Award, believed to be the nation's oldest prize for undergraduate teaching.

Death and legacy

Krueger died on December 20, 1991. He was 85 years old at the time of his death.

Works

  • Inflation: Who Wins and Who Loses? Chicago: Socialist Party of America, 1934.
  • "Economic and Political Radicalism," American Journal of Sociology, v. 40, no. 6 (May 1935), pp. 764-771.
  • End Hunger in the Midst of Plenty! Jobs and Security for All the People! New York: Socialist Party National Campaign Committee, n.d. (1940).
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