Socialist Party of Illinois

The Socialist Party of Illinois (SPIL) is a political party in the state of Illinois. It was affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. It was founded in September 1901, though the grouping met in 1900 at a convention in Chicago and supported Eugene V. Debs for president in 1900. It was the successor to the Social Democratic Party of America.[1]

In 1915, the party had 6,004 members. 44 party members held public office in that year, including one mayor, 18 aldermen and 2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives among others. The Chicago Socialist was the newspaper of the Socialist Party of Illinois.[1]

The Chicago Socialist Party was the most active local in the SPIL and one of the most active in the United States.[2] It is now an affiliate of the Socialist Party USA.

Presidential nominee results

From 1904 to 1948, the SPIL placed its nominee for president on the Illinois ballot. In 1952 and 1956, the party's nominee was not on the ballot, nor has the party placed the SPUSA nominee on the ballot since it began running candidates again in 1976.

Year Presidential Nominee Vice-Presidential Nominee Votes
1904 Eugene V. Debs Benjamin Hanford 69,225 (6.43%)
1908 Eugene V. Debs Benjamin Hanford 34,711 (3.00%)
1912 Eugene V. Debs Emil Seidel 81,278 (7.09%)
1916 Allen L. Benson George Ross Kirkpatrick 61,394 (2.80%)
1920 Eugene V. Debs Seymour Stedman 74,747 (3.57%)
1924 Robert M. La Follette[3] Burton K. Wheeler[3] 432,027 (17.49%)
1928 Norman Thomas James H. Maurer 19,138 (0.62%)
1932 Norman Thomas James H. Maurer 67,258 (1.97%)
1936 Norman Thomas George A. Nelson 7,530 (0.19%)
1940 Norman Thomas Maynard C. Krueger 10,914 (0.26%)
1944 Norman Thomas Darlington Hoopes 180 (0.00%)
1948 Norman Thomas Tucker P. Smith 11,522 (0.29%)

Notable members

References

  1. ^ a b Commission, Illinois. Centennial; Alvord, Clarence Walworth; Pease, Theodore Calvin; Arthur Charles Cole; Ernest Ludlow Bogart; Solon Justus Buck (1920). The Centennial History of Illinois. The Commission. pp. 174–. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  2. ^ Kreuter, Kent; Kreuter, Gretchen (2015-01-13). An American Dissenter: The Life of Algie Martin Simons 1870--1950. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 86–. ISBN 9780813163703. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b In 1924, the Socialist Party nationally endorsed the Progressive Party ticket of La Follette/Wheeler


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