Maurice Sugar
Maurice Sugar (August 8, 1891 - February 15, 1974) was an American political activist and
Early years
Maurice Sugar was born August 12, 1891, in Brimley,
Maurice's parents were not politically radical, with his father a staunch supporter of populist Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the 1890s.[3] Kalman Sugar eventually joined the Socialist Party of America in 1918, but it was under the influence of his son, not vice versa, as in the more typical case of so-called "red diaper babies."[3]
Growing up in Brimley, Sugar was exposed to the culture of a variety of nationalities, as a large number of immigrants from
"While Sugar would retain a Jewish identity, growing up in a largely non-Jewish environment created in him a strong
melting-pot outlook. But his family associated mainly with fellow immigrants of non-English backgrounds and hence did not seek assimilation in an 'Anglo-conformity' manner... They therefore put a premium on interethnic ties through which they built their identities as Americans."[5]
In the summer of 1900, the Sugar family moved to
Brimley was in a state of economic decline, however, with the
In September 1910, Sugar enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, studying law. Michigan was chosen for economic reasons: as a state-run school its tuition rate was more affordable than other more prestigious private universities.[8] The school had a 3-year program in law at the time;[8] Sugar completed his course work on schedule, graduating in 1913 with his Bachelor of Laws degree.[2]
While at college, Sugar had met a red-headed tomboy from
Early career
Sugar apparently joined the Socialist Party of America (SPA) in 1912 and idolized the party's presidential candidate, Eugene V. Debs.[10] He read socialist literature prolifically and was particularly influenced by the philosophical writings of Joseph Dietzgen as well as the historical studies of Gustavus Myers and Charles Edward Russell.[11]
Following his 1914 marriage, Sugar became increasingly active in the Socialist Party of Michigan, state affiliate of the SPA. He attended the weekly meetings of Local Detroit Socialist Party, which at the time had a membership approaching 2,000.[12] Sugar's verbal skills and mastery of Robert's Rules of Order made him an ideal meeting chairman and his mainstream "Regular" party views made him for some an attractive alternative to the radical "impossibilist" Detroit shoe store owner John Keracher. Sugar gained an additional following on the basis of his measured public lectures on a wide range of social, economic, and political themes.[12] By 1916 both Sugar and his wife Jane Mayer had become recognized leaders in the local and state Socialist Party.[13]
In 1916, Sugar ran for public office for the first time, standing as the SPA's candidate for
Sugar's role as a prominent local as a critic of capitalist excess and advocate for the socialist cause brought him to the attention of the Detroit local of the International Typographical Union (ITU), which was seeking more energetic courtroom representation than their current attorney had been providing.[15] Embroiled in a strike and in the need of legal services, ITU Local 18 hired the young Sugar as its new permanent attorney — his first serious client. The experience he gained in the ITU's strike gave him publicity and access to other unions. While up to that time only a few attorneys had made "labor law" their specialty, such as Morris Hillquit and Louis Waldman in New York, Sugar soon decided to make the law as it related to trade unions a professional specialty.[16]
In 1917, Sugar was a delegate to the
Conscription issue
With
Sugar himself refused to register for the draft during World War I. He was indicted, convicted and sentenced to a year in prison. As a result, he was disbarred. He was readmitted to the bar in 1923 through the efforts of Frank Murphy, who was later to become governor of Michigan and a US Supreme Court justice. He did legal work for many AFL locals.
Depression years
In 1932, he represented survivors of the Ford Hunger March. He visited the Soviet Union in 1933 and made a nationwide lecture tour to 40 cities after his return.
In 1934, Sugar defended James Victory, an African-American veteran of World War I who was accused of slashing the face of a white woman in an alley and stealing her purse. By exposing the weakness of the prosecution's case, and the strength of Victory's alibi, Sugar won an acquittal.[21]
Following the successful sitdown strike by the United Auto Workers in Flint, Michigan that unionized General Motors, Sugar wrote the pro-union song "Sit Down, Sit Down."[1] Recorded with the Manhattan Chorus on 29 April 1937, the song encourages union members to hold a sitdown strike in response to mistreatment by company bosses. He also joined the National Lawyers Guild in 1937, soon after the Guild was first organized.
Later years
Sugar retired from active practice in 1950, and lived on Black Lake in northern Michigan. He remained active in the affairs of the National Lawyers Guild after his retirement.[22]
Death and legacy
Maurice Sugar died on February 15, 1974, in Waverly, Michigan. He was 82 years old at the time of his death.
Sugar's papers, consisting of over 60 linear feet of material, are housed at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Footnotes
- ^ Christopher H. Johnson, Maurice Sugar: Law, Labor, and the Left in Detroit, 1912-1950. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1988; pg. 23.
- ^ a b Marion Dickerman and Ruth Taylor (eds.), Who's Who in Labor. New York: The Dryden Press, 1946; pg. 344.
- ^ a b Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 27.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 29.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 31.
- ^ a b Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 35.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 34.
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 38.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pp. 40-41.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 43.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pp. 45-46.
- ^ a b Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 49.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pp. 60-61.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 65.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 54.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pp. 54-55.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 68.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 69.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pp. 69-70.
- ^ Johnson, Maurice Sugar, pg. 70.
- ISBN 978-0-472-03207-5.
- ^ Ernest Goodman, Introduction to Maurice Sugar, The Ford Hunger March. Meikeljohn Civil Liberties Institute, 1980.
Works
- Working Class Justice: A Popular Treatise on the Law of Injunctions in Labor Disputes. Detroit: Detroit Federation of Labor, 1916.
- The Auto Workers Tell the President Plenty! Statement to Presidential Board at Hearing on Automobile Industry in Detroit, December 16, 1934. Detroit: Committee for Maurice Sugar For Judge of Recorder's Court, n.d. [c. 1935].
- A Negro on Trial for his Life : The Frame-up of James Victory Exposed! Speech to Jury by Counsel for Defense Maurice Sugar, Candidate for Judge of Recorder's Court. Detroit: Committee for Maurice Sugar For Judge of Recorder's Court, n.d. [1935].
- A Guide to the Preparation of By-laws for Local Unions of UAW-CIO. Detroit: UAW-CIO Education Dept., 1944.
- The Ford Hunger March Berkeley, CA: Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute, 1980, ISBN 978-0-913876-15-2
Archival collections
The Maurice Sugar Papers are held by the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs at Wayne State University in Detroit. The 60.5 linear feet of papers include Sugar's personal and autobiographical materials files and material relating to his work as chief legal counsel for the United Automobile Workers. Topics covered include UAW legal matters and factionalism, the Ford Hunger March, the House Un-American Activities Committee, and radical politics.
Papers pertaining to Maurice Sugar's work with the National Lawyers Guild can be found in the National Lawyers Guild Records at the Bancroft Library at University of California, Berkeley.
The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan holds a small collection of Maurice Sugar correspondence.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Maurice Sugar:law, labor, and the left in Detroit, 1912-1950, by Christopher H. Johnson (much of the text of the book)
- Finding Aid for the Maurice Sugar Papers, Wayne State University, Detroit. Retrieved July 14, 2010.