August Claessens
Claessens in 1920
Member of theNew York State Assembly from the 17thNew York district
In office February 28, 1922 – December 31, 1922
Preceded by	Murray Felenstein
Succeeded by	Meyer Alterman
In office September 16, 1920 – September 21, 1920
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Nathan Lieberman
In office January 1, 1918 – April 1, 1920
Preceded by	Martin Bourke
Succeeded by	Himself
Personal details
Born	(1885-06-17)June 17, 1885 Bern, Switzerland
Died	December 9, 1954(1954-12-09) (aged 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
Party	Socialist(before 1936) American Labor(1936–1944) Liberal(after 1944)
Other political affiliations	Social Democratic Federation(after 1936)
Spouse(s)	Hilda Goldstein Anna Glassman
Children	2
Education	Cooper Union
Occupation	Clerk, teacher, politician
Known for	Expulsion from the New York State Assembly

August "Gus" Claessens (June 17, 1885 – December 9, 1954) was a Swiss-bornAmericansocialist politician, best known as one of the fiveNew York Assemblymen expelled from that body during theFirst Red Scare for their membership in theSocialist Party of America.

Claessens was three times a candidate forUnited States Congress, running on the Socialist ticket in 1914, 1924, and 1934. He later served as Executive Secretary and National Chairman of theSocial Democratic Federation, a factional offshoot of the Socialist Party.

August Claessens was born inBern,Switzerland, on June 17, 1885. He was raised by his mother and a step-father, the latter of whom worked as a house painter.^[1] His family emigrated to America in 1890 and he grew up in New York, educated in bothRoman Catholic and public schools.

Claessens went to work at age 14 and worked variously as a newsboy, grocery clerk, and shipping clerk.^[2]

Claessens took part in self-directed study through theCooper Union and theRand School of Social Science inNew York City.^[3] While at the Rand School Claessens became interested insocialism and theYiddish language, both joining theSocialist Party of America and becoming proficient in Yiddish by 1909.^[3] Claessens would actively participate in the predominantly Jewish socialist movement in New York City for the rest of his life.^[3]

Well equipped by his Rand School training, Claessens was soon engaged as a public speaker and organizer on behalf of the organization, touring coast to coast. He also was a frequent speaker at public meetings of theWorkmen's Circle(Arbeiter Ring), a predominantly Yiddish-languagefraternal benefit organization.^[3]

In 1914, Claessens was employed as an instructor in public speaking at the Rand School. He also taught extension classes in Labor and Management forRutgers University and was a volunteer speaker and organizer for various New York trade union locals.^[4] Throughout his life he taught night school courses on an array of topics, including public speaking,parliamentary procedure,psychology andsocial psychology, race relations, socialist theory, contemporary politics,anthropology, and sex and society.^[5]

Early in his tenure as a teacher at the Rand School, Claessens met a student named Hilda Goldstein, who he subsequently married.^[6] The pair traveled the country together as Socialist speakers.

Gus Claessens made his first run for political office in 1914, when he stood forUnited States Congress as a candidate of the Socialist Party in 1914.^[1]

DuringWorld War I Claessens supported the majority of the Socialist Party in opposition to the war.^[3] He ran in the 26th District of New York County forNew York State Assembly: DemocratMeyer Levy polled 2,885 votes; the incumbent Progressive/RepublicanJoseph Steinberg polled 2,673 votes, and Claessens polled 1,207.^[7] Able to campaign effectively both in Yiddish and English, Claessens won easy election in November 1917 in the 17th Assembly District.^[3] Claessens subsequently won election twice, being a member of the State Assembly in1918,1919 and1920.

On the first day of the 1920 session, however,Republican Speaker of the HouseThaddeus C. Sweet brought the five elected Socialist Assemblyman before the house and pushed through a resolution suspending them from the body pending a trial, coming just a week after thePalmer Raids of theFirst Red Scare. The five Assemblymen — Claessens,Charles Solomon,Samuel A. DeWitt,Louis Waldman, andSamuel Orr — were represented in a trial before the Assembly byMorris Hillquit andSeymour Stedman in an event which became acause célèbre amongliberals,radicals, andcivil libertarians across the nation.

On April 1, 1920, the quintet were expelled from the Assembly, despite vociferous public protest. All five were re-elected at a special election on September 16, and appeared to take their seats at the beginning of the special session on September 20. The next day, DeWitt and Orr were permitted to take their seats, but Claessens, Solomon and Waldman were expelled again. Protesting against the re-expulsion of their comrades, DeWitt and Orr resigned their seats.^[8]

Claeesens contested the election of DemocratMurray Felenstein to the145th New York State Legislature, and was seated on February 28, 1922.

Claessens again ran for Congress as a Socialist in the fall of 1924, once again falling to defeat.^[1] In theNew York state election, 1926, he ran on the Socialist ticket forLieutenant Governor of New York; and in November 1927 for New York City Alderman from the 6th Ward.^[9] At theNew York state election, 1934, Claessens ran for Congress inNew York's At-large congressional district.^[10]

During the factional conflict within the Socialist Party during the 1930s, Claessens stood with the so-called "Old Guard" faction led by Hillquit,James Oneal, and Louis Waldman. After the youthful radical"Militant" faction won the day at the1934 National Convention, passing an aggressive newStatement of Principles, Claessens joined his"Old Guard" comrades in an exodus from the party to establish theSocial Democratic Federation (SDF).^[3]

In the middle 1930s, Claessens served as Executive Secretary of the SDF and was later elected to the position of National Chairman, a post which he held until his death in 1954.^[3]

Claessens was active in theAmerican Labor Party during its early years and stood for election to the New York Assembly as part of a joint ALP-Republican ticket in 1938. He was defeated in the effort along with all 14 of the other American Labor candidates of the ill-considered ALP-Republican slate.^[11]

In 1944, Claessens joined with Socialist Party leadersHarry Laidler andPaul Blanshard in attempting to defeat theCommunist-dominated faction which had gained control of the ALP.^[3] Failing to win control of that organization, Claessens and his associates withdrew that same year and established theLiberal Party of New York as a rival organization.^[3] Claessens would be a Liberal Party candidate for the State Assembly several times, failing to win election.^[3]

Gus Claessens was twice married. His first wife, the former Hilda Goldstein, was a union organizer who died in 1932.^[12] His second wife, the former Anna Glassman, survived him at the time of his death.^[12]

Claessens died of aheart attack on December 9, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York.^[13] His body was interred atCedar Grove Cemetery, located inFlushing, Queens, New York.^[13]

Claessens' papers reside at theTamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives ofBobst Library atNew York University.

• The Socialists in the New York Assembly: The Work of Ten Socialist Members During the Legislative Session of 1918. With William Morris Feigenbaum. New York: Rand School of Social Science, 1918.
• The Logic of Socialism. New York: Rand School of Social Science, n.d. [c. 1921]. (Also translated into Polish).
• The Trinity of Plunder: A Cheerful Slam at Rent, Interest and Profit. Illustrations by Ryan Walker. New York: New York Call, 1922. (Also translated into Slovenian).
• Is Socialism Inevitable? An Explanation of the Forces of Social Progress. Chicago: Socialist Party of the United States, 1922.
• Essentials of Socialism: A Brief Exposition of the Principal Elements of Modern Socialism. New York: Rand School Press, 1933.
• A Manual for Socialist Speakers: A Brief Text Book on the Technique of Public Speaking and Socialist Propaganda Meetings. New York: Rand School Press, 1933.
• Social Attitudes Towards War and Peace. New York: Rand School Press, 1934.
• The Blue Eagle is Dead — So What? New York: New York Socialist Party, n.d. [1935].
• A Manual for Trade Union Speakers: A Brief Text Book on Public Speaking. New York: Rand School Press, 1936.
• ABC of Parliamentary Law: A Brief Handbook on Rules of Order for Meetings Adapted to the Needs of Labor Groups. With Rebecca Jarvis. New York: Rand School Press, n.d. [c. 1936]. (Also translated into Japanese).
• What Organized Labor Wants: A Popular Description of Trade Union Philosophy, Economics, and Ideals. New York: Rand School Press, 1937.
• The Democratic Way of Life. New York: Rand School Press, 1940.
• Race Prejudice: A Description of the Various Factors in Racial Animosities, Discriminations, and Conflicts, and the Conditions under which These Antagonisms are Increased or Eliminated. New York: Rand School Press, n.d. [1943].
• Eugene Victor Debs: A Tribute, 1855-1926. New York: Rand School Press, n.d. [1946].
• Didn't We Have Fun! Stories Out of a Long, Fruitful and Merry Life. New York: Rand School Press, 1953.
• Understanding the Worker: Problems of Labor Organizations Analyzed in the Light of Social Psychology. Backgrounds in Trade Union History. New York: Rand School Press, 1954.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAugust Claessens.

• List of New York Legislature members expelled or censured

• New York State Legislature, Standing Committee on the Judiciary, Louis M. Martin, Louis Waldman, Samuel Aaron De Witt, August Claessens, Samuel Orr, Charles Solomon,Proceedings of the Judiciary Committee of the Assembly: In The Matter Of The Investigation By The Assembly Of The State Of New York As To The Qualifications Of Louis Waldman, August Claessens, Samuel A DeWitt, Samuel Orr, And Charles Solomon To Retain Their Seats In Said Body. In Three Volumes. New York: J.B. Lyon Co., 1920. Available online:Volume I,Volume II,Volume III.
• Louis Waldman,Albany: The Crisis in Government: The History of the Suspension, Trial and Expulsion from the New York State Legislature in 1920 of the Five Socialist Assemblymen by Their Political Opponents. Introduction bySeymour Stedman. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1920.

• 1885 births
• 1954 deaths
• American economics writers
• American male non-fiction writers
• American Marxists
• American political writers
• American anti-poverty advocates
• American Marxist writers
• Members of the New York State Assembly
• Swiss emigrants to the United States
• Rutgers University faculty
• Socialist Party of America politicians from New York (state)
• Expelled members of the New York State Assembly
• Members of the Social Democratic Federation (United States)
• 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature
• Candidates in the 1914 United States House of Representatives elections
• American Labor Party politicians

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