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Si Gerson

Si Gerson
Gerson c. 1948
Confidential Examiner to the
Borough President of Manhattan
In office
January 1, 1938 – September 27, 1940
Borough President
Personal details
Born(1909-01-23)January 23, 1909
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 2004(2004-12-26) (aged 95)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyCommunist
Spouse
​
(m. 1932)​
OccupationJournalist, activist, politician
Known forFirst Communist to hold any appointed office in New York City

Simon W. "Si" Gerson (January 23, 1909 – December 26, 2004) was a leader in the Communist Party USA. In particular, he was considered its leading expert on campaigns and election. He was the party's appointee to fill the New York City Council vacancy left by the death of Peter Cacchione, but the council refused to seat him. He was also an editor for The Daily Worker.[1]

Early life

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Simon W. Gerson[2] 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. Si Gerson's father supported Norman Thomas' campaigns.

Career

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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 antimilitarism activities. He joined the CPUSA itself in 1931[3] and worked as a city hall reporter and executive editor for the Daily Worker and its successor, the Daily World.[4]

Political cartoons published in the Brooklyn Eagle attacking Gerson during and after his tenure as confidential examiner.

In 1937, Gerson was appointed confidential examiner (also known as assistant)[5] to Republican Manhattan Borough President-elect Stanley M. Isaacs,[6] making him the first Communist to hold any appointed office in New York City.[7][8] In this position, he was charged with handling complaints and ensuring other members of the borough president's staff did their jobs.[9] He served from the beginning of 1938 until his resignation in September 1940;[10] 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.[11][12] 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, who had been Cacchione's campaign manager,[8] the council refused on the grounds that the CPUSA was not legally a political party.[13] Instead, the seat was left vacant,[14] 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.[15] He later served as Gus Hall's campaign manager during the 1980 presidential election.[4]

Personal life and death

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Gerson married Sophie Melvin, the "Red flame" of the Communist Party. Melvin was a passionate union organiser[16] who gained notoriety due to her involvement in the 1929 Loray Mill Strike, during which she was imprisoned.[17]

Gerson and Melvin were married in 1932 and had two children.[8]

Gerson died in Brooklyn, New York on December 26, 2004.[8]

Legacy

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Gerson and Melvin's papers were donated to the Tamiment Library after their deaths.[18]

Works

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  • Pete: The Story of Peter V. Cacchione, New York's First Communist Councilman (International Publishers, 1976)
  • Do We Have Free Elections (International Publishers)
  • After Fifty Years: Revisiting the U.S.S.R. (International Publishers, 1978)

References

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  1. ^ "Communist Party Oral Histories · Simon (Si) Gerson · Digital Tamiment". digitaltamiment.hosting.nyu.edu. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Voices for Freedom. New York City: Civil Rights Congress. 1951. p. 33. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  3. ^ "NOTORIOUS FIGURES IN COMMUNIST LIST; WANTED BY THE F.B.I. IN DRIVE ON COMMUNISTS". The New York Times. New York. June 21, 1951. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Smallwood, Frank (1983). The Other Candidates: Third Parties in Presidential Elections. University Press of New England. pp. 81–97.
  5. ^ "Isaacs Names Gerson Again–As Examiner". Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn. February 24, 1938. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  6. ^ "Daily Worker Reporter Named to City Position". Daily Worker. New York. December 22, 1937. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  7. ^ "Isaacs Appoints Communist as Aid". Daily News. New York. December 23, 1937. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d Fishman, Joelle (January 28, 2005). "Si Gerson, 95, journalist and electoral expert". People's World. Chicago. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  9. ^ "ISAACS PICKS GERSON, COMMUNIST, AS AIDE". The New York Times. New York. December 23, 1937. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  10. ^ "S. W. Gerson Returns To Daily Worker as Political Writer". Daily Worker. New York. December 23, 1940. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  11. ^ "Gerson Quits Post As His Trial Starts". Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn. September 27, 1940. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  12. ^ "Gerson Resigns, Assails Attack on Civil Rights". Daily Worker. New York. September 28, 1940. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  13. ^ "BROOKLYN ENJOYS RACE ALL ITS OWN; All 3 Candidates in Election for City Council Vacancy Are Campaigning Hard". The New York Times. New York. October 26, 1948. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  14. ^ Harris, Harold H. (July 9, 1948). "Politics and People". Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  15. ^ "Gerson, Simon W." ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  16. ^ "Sophie Gerson, labor heroine and communist, 96". People's World. Chicago. May 26, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  17. ^ John A. Salmond, Gastonia, 1929: The Story of the Loray Mill Strike. UNC Press Books, 1995
  18. ^ "Simon W. and Sophie Gerson Papers". findingaids.library.nyu.edu. Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
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