Harry Winitsky
Harry Mordecai Winitsky (1898–1939) was an American
Biography
Early years
Harry Winitsky was born January 25, 1898, in
As a boy, Winitsky attended public schools in New York City.[1] Upon graduation, he stayed in New York to enroll at Columbia University, which he attended in 1917.[1]
Early political career
From an early age, Winitsky became active in radical politics. He joined the youth section of the
In 1918, Winitsky was twice jailed for participating in strike activities, serving a sentence of 10 days in West New York, New Jersey, and an additional 30-day stint in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.[1]
Criminal Anarchism trial
During the CPA's brief interval of open public existence during the last half of 1919, Winitsky served as the Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of New York
Although not themselves anarchists, Winitsky was one of five prominent members of the American Communist movement charged under the New York Criminal Anarchy Law of 1902, a piece of legislation hurriedly passed in the wake of the assassination of President William McKinley.[3]
The indictments against Winitsky and his comrades charged under the New York law —
Winitsky's trial commenced on March 19, 1920, before Judge Weeks in the Criminal Branch of the
Later political career
In October 1921 the Workers' League nominated Benjamin Gitlow and Winitsky as their candidates for
The League sued the Board of Elections, and New York Supreme Court Justice Mullan ordered the Board to restore the candidates' names to the ballot.[7] By the end of October, though, the New York Court of Appeals had reversed the decision, and their names did not appear on the ballot in November.[8]
Winitsky was freed on bail in May 1922.
Winitsky was a delegate to the ill-fated August 1922 convention of the underground CPA in Bridgman, Michigan — a gathering raided by state and federal law enforcement authorities.[1] For attending this gathering Winitsky was indicted under Michigan's "Criminal Syndicalism" statutes, although he was never brought to trial on this charge.[1]
Winitsky worked as a manager of the Communist Party's
Governor Al Smith pardoned Winitsky on January 7, 1924, stating that "I am satisfied that Winitsky has been sufficiently punished for the crime which he committed, and I have accordingly granted him a pardon."[10]
In 1929, Winitsky left the
Death and legacy
At some time before his death in 1939, Winitsky changed his name to Harry Wynn.[9]
Winitsky died of heart disease on September 10, 1939, in the Morrisania Hospital in The Bronx. He had been living at 2690 Morris Avenue. Winitsky was just 41 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his widow and three brothers: Irving, William, and Benjamin Wynn.[9]
Norman Thomas, frequent Presidential candidate of the Socialist Party, was the chief speaker at Winitsky's funeral, held in New York City.[11]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Solon DeLeon with Irma C. Hayssen and Grace Poole (eds.), The American Labor Who's Who. New York: Hanford Press, 1925; pg. 253.
- ^ a b See: "Speech by Harry Winitsky, Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of New York...December 22, 1919." Corvallis, OR: 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2005.
- ^ a b Swinburne Hale, "Criminal Anarchy and Syndicalist Trials," in Alexander Trachtenberg and Benjamin Glassberg (eds.), American Labor Year Book 1921-22: Volume 4. New York: Rand School of Social Science, n.d. [1921]; pg. 18.
- ProQuest 97898824.
- ^ a b c d Hale, "Criminal Anarchy and Syndicalist Trials," pg. 19.
- ^ ProQuest 98344515.
- ProQuest 98372008.
- ProQuest 98547937.
- ^ ProQuest 102862725.
- ProQuest 103480751.
- ^ a b c "Harry Winitsky," Workers Age [New York], vol. 8, no. 38 (September 23, 1939), pg. 3.
Works
- "Speech by Harry Winitsky, Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of New York: Delivered at a Meeting Held at 175 E Broadway, NYC, December 22, 1919." Corvallis, OR: 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2005.
- "The Facts Speak for Themselves," The Revolutionary Age [New York], v. 1, no. 8 (Feb. 15, 1930), pp. 14–15.