George Andersen
George Andersen | |
---|---|
Born | George Richard Andersen September 19, 1900 Denmark |
Died | December 29, 1965 San Francisco, California, U.S. | (aged 65)
Alma mater | University of San Francisco |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Years active | 1930s–1960s |
Employer(s) | Gladstein, Andersen, Leonard & Sibbett |
Organization(s) | ILD, IJA, NLG |
Known for | Defense of Harry Bridges, ILWU |
George Andersen (September 19, 1900 – December 12, 1965) was an American lawyer and partner in the San Francisco-based law firm of Gladstein, Andersen, Leonard & Sibbett. One of his clients, Harry Bridges of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), allegedly supported communist or pro-communist legal organizations from the 1930s to the 1960s including International Labor Defense, the International Juridical Association, and the National Lawyers Guild as well as holding stock in the communist newspaper People's World.[1][2][3][4]
Background
George R. Andersen was born in Denmark and immigrated with his family to San Francisco, California, U.S. He dropped out of school after sixth grade to work. Eventually, he graduated from night school classes in law at the University of San Francisco.[4]
Career
Andersen was a partner in the San Francisco law firm of the law firm of Gladstein, Andersen, Leonard & Sibbett (aka Andersen & Resner
In January 1948, Andersen was shot by two gunmen, after he tried to stop them from robbing the office.[4][16][17] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) closely monitored Andersen and his firm, and some speculate that the FBI was involved in this attack on his office and him.[3]
In 1931–32, Andersen joined
As early as 1947, Andersen was a stockholder in People's World as well as 1949 and 1952–54.[1]
In 1954, Andersen ran for Congress on the ticket of the Independent Progressive Party.[1][18]
On April 21, 1959, Andersen served as legal counsel to Harry Bridges during a HUAC hearing.[19] Also that year, Andersen was one of 40 lawyers who described the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) report Communist Legal Subversion: The Role of the Communist Lawyer.[1]
In 1961, HUAC alleged that Andersen was the local attorney for the Communist Party USA and noted that he had defended Archie Brown for his role in making the 45-minute documentary film Operation Abolition, which filmed the proceedings on HUAC in San Francisco on May 12–14, 1960. During the hearings, Andersen tried to disqualify the committee altogether. Also involved in the hearing was Norman Leonard, a fellow partner in Gladstein, Andersen, Leonard & Sibbett.[2]
Personal life and death
Andersen married Francis Foster (1903–2001).
The NAACP noted that Andersen's law firm was the first to hire an American-American lawyer.[3]
George Richard Andersen died at age 65 on December 29, 1965, in San Francisco.
Legacy
Andersen and his law firm Gladstein, Andersen, Leonard & Sibbett are major subjects of the 2015 book Progressive Lawyers under Siege: Moral Panic during the McCarthy Years.[3]
See also
- Harry Bridges
- International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)
- International Labor Defense
- International Juridical Association
- National Lawyers Guild
- Civil Rights Congress
References
- ^ a b c d e Communist Legal Subversion: The Role of the Communist Lawyer. USGPO. 1959. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ a b The Truth About the Film "Operation Abolition". USGPO. 1961. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9780739195611. Archivedfrom the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Fisk, Catherine L.; Reddy, Diana S. (2020). "Protection by Law, Repression by Law: Bringing Labor Back Into the Study of Law and Social Movements". Emory Law Journal. Emory University: 105–106. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ a b "Whitney v. City etc. of San Francisco". Justia. 1942. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Relationship Between Teamsters Union and Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers. USGPO. 1962. pp. 214–5 (ILWU, Bridges). Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "George R. Andersen, attorney with his client Ida Rothstein, an alleged Communist leader". San Francisco Public Library. 1934. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Un-American Activities in California: Report of the Joint Fact-Finding Committee to the Fifty-Fifth California Legislature (PDF). California State Writing Office. 1943. p. 98. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "People v. Yuen". citeblue. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Communist Party of U.S. of America v. Peek". Westlaw. 1942. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "25 Cal.2d 721, 17015, James v. Marinship Corp". Alex. 1944. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ CCH NLRB Decisions. National Labor Relations Board. 1948. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Investigation of Communist Activities in the San Francisco Area. USGPO. 1953. pp. 3138–3152 (Wheeler), 3159–3184 (Hudson), 3355–3367 (Schlipf), 3432–3444 (Chown). Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "In re Hallinan". Stanford Law School. 1954. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "People v. Dewberry". Stanford Law School. 1959. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Attorney George R. Andersen receiving first aid after being injured by two gunmen". San Francisco Public Library. 1946. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Attorney George R. Andersen receiving first aid in Harbor Emergency Hospita". San Francisco Public Library. 1948. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "November 2, 1945". JoinCalifornia. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Testimony of Harry R. Bridges". USGPO. 1959. p. 660. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
External links
- San Francis Public Library: photos of Andersen January 1948
- ILWU archive: photo of Andersen 24 February 1950
- Nixon Library: mention of Andersen 1957
- FBI "Black Vault": Andersen in 1943 report
- Marxist Internet Archive: Andersen in 1938 issue of People's World