Grace Carlson

Grace Holmes Carlson (1906–1992) was an American Marxist politician.

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Grace Carlson

Background

Grace Holmes Carlson was born on November 13, 1906, in St. Paul, Minnesota and studied in local Catholic schools.[1]

Career

Carlson was a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota.[2] In 1940, Carlson was the Socialist Workers Party candidate for United States Senator in Minnesota,[1] receiving almost 9,000 votes.[3] In 1941, as a leading member of the Socialist Workers Party she was imprisoned under the Smith Act together with Farrell Dobbs and many other SWP leaders for opposing the US involvement in World War II. After her 16-month prison sentence, she became an activist for better conditions for women prisoners.

In 1948, Carlson ran as the Socialist Workers Party vice presidential candidate in presidential election with Dobbs as presidential candidate. In 1950, she ran again as a U.S. House of Reperesentatives candidate for Minnesota's 5th district 1950.[4]

In 1952, Carlson left the SWP, citing conflict with her Catholic beliefs. James P. Cannon, the central leader of the SWP famously penned the article "How We Won Grace Carlson and How We Lost Her" following her resignation which focused on the extreme right-wing pressures of the McCarthy period as the material basis for Carlson's departure.[5]

Death

Grace Carlson died age 85 on July 7, 1992.

See also

References
  1. GRACE CARLSON: An Inventory of Her Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Archived copy". www.time.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. James P. Cannon: Attack on "Militant" (November 1942)
  4. SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY. MINNESOTA SECTION: An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Cannon, James P. (July 7, 1952). "How We Won Grace Carlson and How We Lost Her" (PDF). Militant.
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