Meyer London

Meyer London during a streetcar workers' strike in Brooklyn (1916)

Meyer London (born December 29, 1871 in Kalvarija , Russian Empire , †  June 6, 1926 in New York City ) was an American politician . Between 1915 and 1919, and again from 1921 to 1923 he represented as a socialist the state of New York in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Meyer London, born in today's Lithuania , attended public schools in his homeland. He also received private lessons. He mainly learned foreign languages. In October 1891 he came to New York; In 1896 he received American citizenship. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1896, he began working in this profession in New York City. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Socialist Party of America . He ran for the New York State Assembly several times unsuccessfully and became a leader of the labor movement. In 1910 he organized a strike in the clothing industry. As a lawyer, he specialized in civil suits, particularly in labor law.

In the congressional elections of 1914 , London in the twelfth constituency of New York was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Democrat Henry M. Goldfogle on March 4, 1915 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1919 . These were shaped by the events of the First World War . In April 1917, London, the second socialist in Congress alongside Victor L. Berger of Wisconsin , was one of 50 congressmen who voted against the United States' entry into the war . After its completion, however, he then supported the war effort, which brought him political difficulties with his party. On the other hand, he rejected bills that aimed to criminalize criticism of the conduct of the war or of the president's policies. He met with criticism from the other parties. So he was politically isolated. One side saw him as a dangerous radical and the other as a traitor to socialist ideals. This led to his being voted out of office in 1918. Nevertheless, he still achieved a good election result with 6519 votes against 7269. The election winner was his predecessor Goldfogle.

In the congressional elections of 1920 there was another duel between Goldfogle and London, which the latter won. This allowed him to spend another legislative period in Congress between March 4, 1921 and March 3, 1923. In 1922 he was not re-elected. After his time in the US House of Representatives ended, London practiced law again. He died on June 6, 1926 in New York City of complications from a car accident.

literature

Gordon J. Goldberg: Meyer London. A Biography of the Socialist New York Congressman, 1871-1926 , Jefferson 2013, ISBN 978-078647-216-1 .

Web links

Commons : Meyer London  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Meyer London in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Meyer London in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Contemporary portrait in the Independent

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry M. Goldfogle	United States House of Representatives for New York (12th constituency) March 4, 1915 - March 3, 1919	Henry M. Goldfogle
Henry M. Goldfogle	United States House of Representatives for New York (12th constituency) March 4, 1921 - March 3, 1923	Samuel Dickstein