Simon William "Si" Gerson (January 23, 1909 – December 26, 2004) was an American communist politician, journalist and activist. A leading member of the Communist Party USA, he was considered its expert on campaigns and elections. He was at the center of several controversies during his career, including his expulsion from the City College of New York in 1928, his appointment as confidential examiner to the Borough President of Manhattan in 1938, and his attempted appointment to the New York City Council in 1948. He also served as executive editor of the Daily Worker and its successor, the Daily World.
Early life Simon William Gerson was born in New York City on January 23, 1909, the eldest child of Jewish immigrants from the Grodno region, located in modern-day Belarus.
Both of Gerson's parents were members of the Socialist Party of America, and his mother, Dr. Helen Movshovitz, later became a member of the Communist Party USA and supported William Z. Foster's presidential campaigns. Gerson's father supported Norman Thomas' campaigns.
Career Gerson joined the Young Communist League USA while attending the City College of New York and was expelled from the college in 1928 for leading anti-ROTC activities. He joined the Communist Party itself in 1931, working as a sports columnist, city hall correspondent, state legislative correspondent and city editor of the Daily Worker. He later served as executive editor of the paper and its successor, the Daily World.
In 1937, Gerson was appointed confidential examiner (also known as assistant) to Republican Manhattan Borough President-elect Stanley M. Isaacs, making him the first Communist to hold any appointed office in New York City. In this position, he was charged with handling complaints and ensuring other members of the borough president's staff did their jobs. He served from the beginning of 1938 until his resignation in September 1940; facing a legal challenge from the American Legion on his right to hold office, Gerson could not afford a legal team and the City Corporation Counsel refused to take his case. Gerson later served in the Pacific theater during World War II.
In 1947, incumbent Communist New York City Councilman Peter Cacchione unexpectedly died. Under city law, council vacancies had to be filled by a member of the same political party as the previous officeholder, but when the Communist Party nominated Gerson, the council refused on the grounds that the Communist Party was not legally a political party. Instead, the seat was left vacant, and a special election was held the following year. Although he received the nominations of the Communist and American Labor parties (earning 18,000 votes on the former ballot line and 132,000 votes on the latter), he came in third place with 15% of the vote, behind Republican Jacob P. Lefkowitz and Democrat Jack Kranis, the victor.
On the morning of June 20, 1951, Gerson and 16 other Communist Party leaders were arrested by the FBI and charged with violating the Smith Act. In September 1952, Judge Edward J. Dimock dropped the charges against Gerson and Isidore Begun, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to convict them.
In 1958, Gerson co-signed an appeal urging the Communist Party not to purge John Gates and other reformists. After this failed, however, Gerson remained in the party. He later served as campaign manager for Gus Hall during the 1976, 1980, and 1984 presidential elections. As a legislative representative for the Communist Party, Gerson advocated for proportional representation and instant runoff voting, and served as secretary of the Coalition for Free and Open Elections.
Personal life and death
Gerson married Sophie Melvin, the "Red flame" of the Communist Party, in 1932, with whom he had two children, William and Deborah. Melvin was a passionate union organizer who gained notoriety due to her involvement in the 1929 Loray Mill strike, during which she was imprisoned.John A. Salmond, Gastonia, 1929: The Story of the Loray Mill Strike. UNC Press Books, 1995
Gerson died in Brooklyn, New York on December 26, 2004.
Legacy Gerson and Melvin's papers were donated to the Tamiment Library after their deaths.
In his memoir A Long Journey, George Blake Charney, a former member of the Communist Party, characterized Gerson as follows:
Cartoon gallery
Works
References
External links
People's Weekly World Biography Guide to the Simon W. Gerson papers at the Tamiment Library Obituary by Shaun Richman Trial of 12 Communists, prosecuted under the Smith Act, held in Foley Square Court House New York City - 1949 (Gerson appears at 1:41) Madison Square Garden Rally, 29th Anniversary of the Communist Party (New York, New York).: Sep 29, 1948 (Gerson appears in slides 11 and 13) Police Beat Simon Gerson.: Oct 21, 1948 (Campaign worker was actually the one beaten, Gerson appears on the right in slides 2 and 3) Gerson visits East Berlin, 1961