| Predecessor | Industrial Union League |
|---|---|
| Successor | none |
| Formation | 1932; 93 years ago (1932) |
| Founder | Joseph Brandon |
| Dissolved | 1935; 90 years ago (1935) |
| Part ofthe Politics series on |
| De Leonism |
|---|
 |
Organizations |
TheAmerican Labor Party (ALP) was the final name of aDe Leonist splinter group in the US in the early 1930s. The ALP had split from theIndustrial Union League, which in turn had split from the Socialist Labor Party in the late 1920s.
The leader of the organization was Joseph Brandon, who had been a founding member of the IUL. Brandon insisted that asocialist industrial union had to be created before a party could be established.[1] He was expelled from the IUL in April 1932. Brandon took a few sympathizers and formed theIndustrial Union Alliance. When, by the summer of 1933, it became clear that the IUL would turn itself into a political party Brandon tried to reunify with them and changed his organizations name to theIndustrial Union Party on June 11. The Industrial Union League also changed its name to the Industrial Union Party on June 14, and filed an injunction against the Brandon faction from using the name. In theNew York Supreme Court caseBrandon v. Brandon the court sided with the majority group.[2] On October 5 the Brandon group filed a slate of candidates for theNovember 7 New York municipal election as the "Indus Union". Joseph Brandon was nominated for mayor, Julian Diamond forCity Controller, and Harold Leby for president of theBoard of Aldermen.[3] Later the name seemed to change to the Industrial Labor party.[4] However,Joseph V. McKee and hisRecovery Party brought a suit before theNew York City Board of Elections and tried to get several minor parties off the ballot, including the Socialist Labor and regular Industrial Union tickets. Brandon's ticket was the only one to be removed.[5]
By December 10 the group had apparently settled on the name American Labor Party and taken up headquarters at 149East 42nd street.[6] On January 21 a "Daniel De Leon Forum" was held at the same location when Brandon debated Howard Y. Williams on the efficacy of a Farmer–Labor Party. Brandon debated Jay Bambrick at this same "forum" on February 18.[7] The relationship between this "forum" and the American Labor Party is unclear, but it had at least two events without Brandon:James Oneal give a talk on early American labor thinkers that Christmas Eve,[8] and heard a lecture on the NRA by James Greenhut on March 4, 1935.[9] On June 28, 1935 Brandon gave a talk on the "Policy of the American Labor Party" at the "Industrial Workers School" at 94 Fifth Avenue.[10]
The Industrial Union Party itself largely ignored Brandon thereafter, except ridiculing him for his numerous changes of position and line as "Zig-Zag" Brandon.[11]
The party published nine issues of a monthly periodicalAmerican Labor Bulletin until September 1934. This was changed toLabor Power in October 1934, but continued the same numbering. The last known issue was numbered Vol. II #6 June 1935.[12]
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