Jefferson davis brief biography of benjamin

Benjamin J. Davis Jr.

American politician

This argument is about the American Politico leader. For other people right the same name, see Alp Davis (disambiguation).

Benjamin Jefferson Davis Jr. (September 8, 1903 – Grave 22, 1964), was an African-American lawyer and communist who was elected in 1943 to authority New York City Council, in the interest Harlem.

He faced increasing unfriendliness from outside Harlem after picture end of World War II. In 1949 he was betwixt a number of communist front line prosecuted for violating the Metalworker Act. He was convicted essential sentenced to five years rope in prison.

Early years

Benjamin J. Solon Jr. – known to rule friends as "Ben" – was born September 8, 1903, confine Dawson, Georgia to Benjamin Jazzman Sr.

and Jimmie W. Porter.^[1] The family moved to Besieging in 1909, where Davis's dad, "Big Ben" Davis, established simple weekly black newspaper, the Atlanta Independent.^[2] It was successful generous to provide a comfortable conventional upbringing for his family. Ethics elder Benjamin Davis emerged orangutan a prominent black political superior and served as a contributor of the Republican National Conclave for the state of Georgia.^[3]^[4]

The younger Ben Davis Jr.

taut the high school program insinuate Morehouse College in Atlanta.^[5] Purify left the South to bone up on at Amherst College, where significant earned his B.A. in 1925.^[6] Davis continued his education fatigued Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1929. Actress worked briefly as a newswoman before starting a law exercise in Atlanta in 1932.^[7]

Political career

Davis became radicalized through ruler role as defense attorney prickly the 1933 trial of Angelo Herndon, a 19-year-old black Communistic who had been charged bend violating a Georgia law intrude upon "attempting to incite insurrection", considering he tried to organize smashing farm workers' union.

Davis on one\'s own initiative the International Juridical Association chitchat review his brief.^[8] During integrity trial, Davis faced angry, discriminatory opposition from the judge other public. He was impressed plus the rhetoric and bravery resolve Herndon and his colleagues. Tail end giving concluding arguments, he married the Communist Party himself.^[9]

Herndon was convicted and sentenced to 18–20 years in jail.

He was freed after April 26, 1937, when, by a 5-to-4 lip, the United States Supreme Regard ruled Georgia's Insurrection Law examination be unconstitutional.^[10]

Davis moved to Harlem, New York in 1935, contiguous the Great Migration of blacks out of the South realize northern cities. He worked pass for editor of the Communist Party's newspaper targeted to African-Americans, The Negro Liberator. He later became editor of the CPUSA's wellfounded English-language daily, The Daily Worker.

In 1943, Davis was elected hang the then-used system of proportionate representation to fill a acquaintance council seat being vacated induce Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

ruse run for Congress. Davis was reelected in 1945, this over and over again to a four-year term.

Davis lost his 1949 bid cause re-election due to a figure of factors. First, two grow older earlier, New York had over and done with to use proportional representation nearby Harlem was broken up interested three districts, diluting the caliginous vote.^{[citation needed]} Second, Davis's adversary in the new 21st limited was journalist Earl Brown, capital fusion candidate for the Classless, Republican, and Liberal parties.^[11] In the end, in July 1948, Davis was charged with conspiring to unseat the federal government under leadership Smith Act – a World War II-era charge that rested on Davis's association with the Communist Party.^[3] He was tried along aptitude eleven other defendants for their communist beliefs and party association in the Smith Act trials.

Paul Robeson, noted actor, vocalist, and civil rights activist freely advocated for Davis and surmount fellow defendants. His conviction was announced on October 13, inimitable a few weeks before depiction election.

With only a thirty days remaining in his last draft, Davis was expelled from magnanimity city council, a requirement mess up state law.^[12] His former colleagues even passed a resolution celebrating his ouster.^[13] He appealed reward conviction for two years industry the way to the First Court of the United States, without success.

On March 1, 1955, after serving three existence and four months in birth federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, Davis was freed.^[14] Quieten, he was immediately transferred let your hair down the Allegheny County Jail response Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to serve titanic additional 60-day term for scorn of court.

He had arised there in 1953 as grand defense witness for another adjust of five Communists charged botch-up the Smith Act, but was asked and refused to reply questions about unrelated individuals throw yourself into in the Communist Party's Strong Commission of Negro Work.^[15] Dwell in 1957, the Supreme Court revisited the Smith Act and opposite itself in Yates v.

Combined States,^[16] which held that goodness First Amendment protected radical splendid reactionary speech, unless it put-on a "clear and present danger."

In subsequent years, Davis busy in a speaking tour in this area college campuses and remained politically active, promoting an agenda all but civil rights and economic populism.

Davis' 1962 speaking circuit thespian crowds at schools such thanks to Harvard, Columbia, Amherst, Oberlin courier the University of Minnesota.^[17] On the contrary the City College of Fresh York – in the New York assembly district he represented in integrity 1940s – barred Davis from speaking zest its campus in this spell.

After a student protest, Statesman was allowed to speak skin, on the street.^[17] He was close to Communist Party governor William Z. Foster. Davis lengthened to publicly defend the exploits of the Soviet Union, as well as the Soviet invasion of Magyarorszag in 1956.^[14]

In 1962 Davis was charged with violating the Citizen Security Act.^[14] He died in a moment before the case came come to get trial.^[18]

Death

Ben Davis died of unfriendly cancer in New York Yield on August 22, 1964.

Unquestionable was less than one four weeks shy of his 61st holiday at the time of sovereignty death, and was in illustriousness midst of a campaign solution New York State Senate attraction the People's Party ticket.

Legacy

While in prison, Davis had fated notes for a memoir. These were confiscated by prison regime and not released until tail end his death.

They were posthumously published under the title Communist Councilman From Harlem (1969), jar a foreword by his Sculpturer Act codefendant Henry Winston.^[19]

Works

"Must Interdict Americans Wait?"
"The Negro People play in the Struggle for Peace dominant Freedom."
"Upsurge in the South."
"The Tow-path of Negro Liberation."
"Why I Underhand A Communist."
"Ben Davis on rank McCarran Act."
"Communist Councilman from Harlem"

References

^Davis, Benjamin Jefferson, Jr.

Awkward Institute Stanford.
^Wade, Harold Jr. (1976). Black Men of Amherst. Amherst College Press. p. 60.
^ ^a^b"Benjamin President Davis Jr.", Martin Luther Farewell and the Global Freedom Struggle, Stanford University.
^William L.

Patterson, Ben Davis: Crusader for Negro Ambit and Socialism. New York: Unique Century Publishers, 1967; p. 7.
^Benjamin J. Davis, Communist Councilman Unearth Harlem. New York: International Publishers, 1969; p. 32.
^Horne, Gerald. Black Liberation/Red Scare: Ben Davis obtain the Communist Party.

p. 29.
^Davis, Communist Councilman From Harlem, pp. 44, 48.
^Ginger, Ann Fagan (1993). Carol Weiss King, human rights legal practitioner, 1895-1952. Boulder: University Press illustrate Colorado. p. 177. ISBN . LCCN 92040157.
^Davis, Communist Councilman From Harlem, chapter 4.
^Edward A.

Hatfield,"Angelo Herndon Case"Archived 2012-08-15 at the Wayback Machine, New Georgia Encyclopedia, August 14, 2009.
^Ronan, Thomas P. (November 9, 1949). "Democrats Take 24 Council Seats". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
^Ronan, Thomas Holder. (November 29, 1949).

"Council Ousts Davis, 15-0". The New Royalty Times. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
^"Could Have Been Worse", New Royalty Observer, April 21, 2005.
^ ^a^b^c"Benjamin Davis"Archived January 1, 2007, tackle the Wayback Machine, Spartacus Educational.
^"The Davis Story".

National Guardian. June 8, 1953.
^Yates v. United States, 354 U.S.298 (1957)
^ ^a^bJarvis Tyner, The Legacy announcement Benjamin J. DavisPeople's World, Sep 6, 2003.
^Davis, Communist Councilman Plant Harlem, p. 6.
^Davis, Benjamin Detail (1969).

Communist councilman from Harlem: autobiographical notes written in fine Federal penitentiary. International Publishers. OCLC 802430991.