Caleb Leroy Harrison, September 20, 1879 (Monocacy Station, Penn.) - June 8, 1938 (Chicago, Ill.)
VP candidate for Socialist Labor Party (1916)
Running mate with nominee: Arthur E. Reimer (1882–1969)
Popular vote: 15,295 (0.08%)
Electoral vote: 0/531
The campaign:
This was the first national election in which the Socialist Labor Party had to struggle without the sectarian leadership of Daniel De Leon, who died in 1914. His handpicked replacement, Danish-born Arnold Petersen, proved a durable choice as he led the Party until 1969.
The 1916 platform was another mini-essay, concluding with: "And we also call upon all other intelligent citizens to place themselves squarely upon the ground of Working Class interests, and join us in this mighty and noble work of human emancipation, so that we may put summary end to the existing barbarous class conflict by placing the land and all the means of production, transportation, and distribution into the hands of the people as a collective body, and substituting the Co-operative Commonwealth for the present state of planless production, industrial war and social disorder--a commonwealth in which every worker shall have the free exercise and full benefit of his faculties, multiplied by all the factors of modern civilization."
For such a tiny political party the campaign certainly attracted a considerable amount of fear and paranoia that would only increase in the coming years. Reimer was jailed in Butte, Mont. and Harrison in Homestead, Penn. for making speeches that were considered too radical.
On the ballot in 18 states, their best finish was in Maryland with 0.29%.
Election history:
1908 - Pennsylvania General Assembly (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1910 - US House of Representatives (Penn.) (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1911 - Berks County, Penn. County Controller (Socialist Labor Party) - defeated
1912 - US House of Representatives (Penn.) (Industrialist Party) - defeated
1914 - Governor of Pennsylvania (Industrialist Party) - defeated
1916 - Presidential nomination of the Socialist Labor Party - defeated
Other occupations: machinist, roller in a pipe mill
Buried: Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (Chicago, Ill.)
Notes:
Moved to Chicago from Wilkinsburg, Penn. 1915-1916. Was a resident of Wyomissing, Penn. until
ca. 1913.
By 1920 had converted to communism, assuming a leadership role. Using the pseudonym Atwood, he
helped unify the Canadian communist groups in 1921.
On Aug. 22, 1922 he was arrested with 16 others in the historic raid at a Bridgman, Mich. communist
meeting.
Buried in the same cemetery as Mike Royko.
Vanished from the political radar after 1923 so far as I can ascertain.
[Update: Mar. 12, 2021. Cassidy Stephenson writes: "I am the great-great granddaughter of Caleb Harrison, the vice presidential candidate for the socialist labor party in 1916. I actually went to Acacia Park cemetery to see his grave two days ago and they said he was cremated and we have no idea who has the ashes or if anyone ever even picked him up." -- If any of you readers out there can answer Cassidy's question please drop us a line]
