NORMAN THOMASSSS

Norman Mattoon Thomas was born November 20, 1884 in Ohio and later died December 19, 1968 in New York. Besides being an American Presbyterian minister, he achieved fame as a socialist, pacifist, and six time presidential candidate for the Socialist Part of America. Norman Thomas was the oldest of six children. His father, Weddington Evans Thomas was a Presbyterian minister and was married to Emma Williams Mattoon. Thomas had an uneventful childhood and adolescence. While attending Marion High School, he was a paper carrier for Warren G. Harding's Marion Daily Star. After graduating high school, he attended Bucknell University as his family moved to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania because his father accepted a pastorate. After 1 year at Bucknell, he transferred to Princeton University. He graduated from Princeton University in 1905. After some settlement work and traveling the world, Thomas chose to follow his fathers footsteps and enrolled in the Union Theological Seminary. After graduating, he was ordained as a Presybeterian minister in 1911. The Union Theological Seminary, at the time, was a center of Social Gospel movement and liberal politics. As a minister, he preached against American participation in the First World War. Because of this, he was shunned by many of his fellow Princeton alumni and opposed by the leadership of the Presbyterian Church in New York. However, after Thomass mother pasted away, he formally left the ministry. Prior to this, he had resigned his pastorate after church funding of the American Parishs social programs were stopped. Thomas was mainly drawn to the Socialist Party of America because of his position as a conscientious objector. Within this party, Thomas joined the Socialist Party of Americas leaders, Morris Hillquit, campaign for Mayor of New York in 1917. This campaign strongly upheld an anti-war platform. Thomas was also the secretary of the pacifist Fellowship of reconciliation. In addition, he became the editor of a magazine called The World Tomorrow in 1918 which was created by the organization. He helped to make this magazine become the leading voice of liber Christian activism at the time. Thomas later became the associative editor of The Nation magazine. Norman Thomas ran for Presidential nominee of the Socialist Party six consecutive times, but failed each time. He was an impressive and engaging spokesperson for democratic socialism. Being well educated, Thomas also often wore three piece suits. Because he talked and even dressed like a president, he was successful in gaining admiration. He frequently spoke about the differences between communism and socialism.

He wanted a impregnable defense. Strong national defense Anti-war abroad didnt want to get involved in European affairs/war Thomas was one of the few public figures to oppose President Franklin Roosevelt's (D) internment of Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Thomas accused the ACLU of "dereliction of duty" when the organization supported the internment. Thomas also campaigned against racial segregation, environmental depletion, anti-labor laws and practices, and in favor of opening the United States to Jewish victims of Nazi persecution in the 1930s.