John Keracher
John Keracher (16 January 1880 – 11 January 1958) was a Scottish-born American
Biography
Early years
John Keracher was born on January 16, 1880, in
In Detroit, Keracher was the proprietor of the Reliance Shoe House, a retail shoe store located at 112 Dix Avenue.[2]
Political career
In April 1910 Keracher joined the Socialist Party of America.
Keracher was an extremely orthodox
After the
Keracher was a delegate to the June 1919
In September 1919, Keracher participated in the founding of the
Keracher was arrested during the so-called
In January 1920, Keracher and his group of followers in Michigan (including those associated with the group who lived outside that state) were expelled from the Communist Party charged with "
Keracher moved from Detroit to Chicago in the early 1920s, the city where the Proletarian Party was thereafter based.
Death and legacy
In 1954, with his health beginning to fail, Keracher retired from the position of Executive Secretary of the Proletarian Party, passing on the mantle to his successor, Al Wysocki. Keracher moved to Los Angeles, where he remained active in party affairs.
Keracher died of a heart ailment on January 11, 1958.[1] He was 77 years old at the time of his death.
The Proletarian Party formally disbanded in 1971.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ a b Al Wysocki, "John Keracher — His Life and Work," Proletarian News (Chicago), March 1958, pg. 3.
- ^ a b Warren W. Grimes, "The Proletarian Party of America," Corvallis, OR: 1000 Flowers Publishing, 2006; pg. 3.
- ^ Oakley C. Johnson, Marxism in United States History Before the Russian Revolution (1876-1917). New York: Humanities Press, 1974; pg. 127.
- ^ Oakley C. Johnson, "The Early Socialist Party of Michigan: An Assignment in Autobiography," The Centennial Review, vol. 10, no. 2 (Spring 1966), pg. 155.
Works
- Labor Saving Devices. Chicago: Proletarian Party, n.d. [1923].
- How the Gods Were Made (A Study in Historical Materialism). Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., n.d. [1929].
- Economics for Beginners: Elementary Economics in Simple Language. Chicago, IL Charles H. Kerr & Co. 1935.
- Producers and Parasites. Chicago, IL Charles H. Kerr & Co. 1935.
- Why Unemployment? Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1935.
- The Head-Fixing Industry. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1935. Revised and expanded second edition: 1955.
- Crime: Its Causes and Consequences. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., n.d. [1937].
- Frederick Engels (November 1820-August 1895). Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1946.
- Wages and the Working Day. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co, 1946.
- "We." Chicago: Proletarian Party of America, n.d. [c. 1946]. — leaflet.
- "Death of Al Renner," Proletarian News (Chicago), vol. 18, no. 9, whole no. 198 (Sept. 1949), pp. 2, 8.
Further reading
- Oakley C. Johnson, Marxism in United States History Before the Russian Revolution (1876–1917). New York: Humanities Press, 1974.
- "The Early Socialist Party of Michigan: An Assignment in Autobiography," Ann Arbor, MI: The Centennial Review, v. 10, no. 2 (Spring 1966), pp. 147–162.
- Allen Ruff, "We Called Each Other Comrade": Charles H. Kerr & Company, Radical Publishers. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1997.
External links
- Works by or about John Keracher at Internet Archive
- John Keracher Internet Archive, Marxists Internet Archive.
- Proletarian News. PDF issues, 1956-1961.