Al Richmond | |
|---|---|
 Richmondc. 1951 | |
| Born | November 17, 1913 |
| Died | November 9, 1987 (age 73) |
| Occupation | Pro-labor journalist and novelist |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Communism |
| Literary movement | Communist Party USA(1929–1968) |
| Years active | 1930s-1970s |
| Notable works | People's World contributions,A Long View From the Left memoir (1973) |
Al Richmond (November 17, 1913 – November 9, 1987) was an American writer who co-founded and served as executive editor for thePeople's World San Francisco.[1][2]
Al Richmond was born on November 17, 1913, inLondon, England. His mother, a revolutionary left for the USA after six years in a czarist prison, returned to Russia in 1917 with her young son, to work in the cause of labor organizing. She faced arrest by German soldiers. They came back to the United States in 1922. Worked as Union Activist
In 1929, age 15, Richmond joined theYoung Communist League (YCL). After high school, he moved to Philadelphia and helped unionize factory and dock workers.[2]
In the 1930s, he wrote forDaily Worker and then moved West to co-found what was originally theDaily People's World (nowPeople's World) newspaper.[1][2]
Richmond also edited theSunday Worker, a weekly newspaper launched in January 1936 to try to reach more broadly than theDaily Worker, withJames S. Allen as foreign editor.[2]
After a 1951 raid by theFederal Bureau of Investigation onPeople's World offices, Richmond and 13 other CPUSA members in California were tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison under theSmith Act for advocating violent overthrow of the US Government. Richmond served one year.[1]
After criticizing the USSR for invadingCzechoslovakia in 1968, Richmond faced censure by CPUSA leaders, quit the Party, but remained aMarxist.[1]
With wife Merle, Richmond had two children.[1]
Al Richmond died age 73 on November 9, 1987, of pneumonia in San Francisco.[1]
In his 1973 memoirA Long View From the Left, Richmond criticized the CPUSA.[1]
 | This article about an American writer is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |