Eugene V. Debs

Eugene V. Debs was a prominent American socialist in the early 20th century.

Fast Facts:

1. Full name: Eugene Victor Debs
2. Born: November 5, 1855
3. Birthplace: Terre Haute, Indiana
4. Married: Kate Metzel
5. Died: October 20, 1926 in Elmhurst, Illinois
6. Ran for president of the United States 5 times:
   • 1900
   • 1904
   • 1908
   • 1912
   • 1920
7. In 1920 he ran for president from prison
8. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1924

Early Life

Debs began working for the railroad when he was 14. Although several years later he left the railroad to work at a grocery store, he was instrumental in founding a local chapter of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen in 1874. His work with the brotherhood led to a run for the Democratic legislature in 1884. He won the election and served one term.

Pullman Strike

In 1893, Debs founded the American Railway Union to represent all types of railway workers. The first test of their solidarity was in 1894. The workers who made the Pullman railway cars went out on strike due to wage cuts. In support, all the members of the American Railway Union refused to handle the cars. This caused a slow down in the delivery of U.S. Mail, which was carried on the cars. Debs was arrested for his role in the strike and served six months in jail. He credits his time in jail, where he read the writings of Karl Marx, as introducing him to socialism.

Opposition to World War I

Debs was a vocal opponent of U.S. involvement in World War I, believing it to be a war motivated by capitalism. He was arrested in 1918, after a speech in Canton, Ohio, under the Espionage Act of 1917. The Act made it a crime to "interfere with the war effort" through speeches or publications. He was sentenced to ten years in jail but served only three, as his sentence was commuted by President Warren G. Harding in 1921.

Quotes

"Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest of the earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."¹

"Let the people take heart and hope everywhere, for the cross is bending, the midnight is passing, and joy cometh with the morning." ²

"If you go to the city of Washington, you will find that almost all of those corporation lawyers and cowardly politicians, members of congress, and mis-representatives of the masses claim, in glowing terms, that they have risen from the ranks to places of eminence and distinction. I am very glad that I cannot make that claim for myself. I would be ashamed to admit that I had risen from the ranks. When I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks." ³

Categories