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Norman Thomas Collected Papers

 Collection — othertype: CDG-A
Identifier: SCPC-CDG-A-Thomas, Norman

Dates

  • 1909-1946

Language of Material

Materials are in English.

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research without restrictions.

Copyright and Rights Information

None

Biographical / Historical

Norman Mattoon Thomas was an American Presbyterian minister who achieved fame as a pacifist and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. He was born on November 20, 1884 in Marion, Ohio; he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1905 and then from Union Theological Seminary. Thomas was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1911; he preached against American participation in the First World War, which brought him some noteriety. Thomas resigned his pastorate, then formally left the ministry in 1931. He was a member of the Socialist Party of America (SPA). Thomas was the secretary (then an unpaid position) of the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation before the war; when the organization started a magazine called "The World Tomorrow" in January 1918, Thomas was employed as its paid editor. In 1921 Thomas moved to secular journalism when he was employed as associate editor of "The Nation" magazine. In 1922 Thomas became co-director of the League for Industrial Democracy; later, he was one of the founders of the National Civil Liberties Bureau, the precursor of the American Civil Liberties Union. Thomas ran for office five times in quick succession on the Socialist ticket. He wrote several books, among them a defense of World War I conscientious objectors "Is Conscience a Crime?" and his statement of the 1960s social democratic consensus "Socialism Re-examined," Norman Thomas died December 19, 1968 in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

Extent

0.4 Linear Feet (5 linear inches.)

Abstract

Norman Mattoon Thomas (1884-1961) was an American Presbyterian minister who achieved fame as a pacifist and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

Custodial History

The Swarthmore College Peace Collection is not the official repository for the papers of Norman Thomas.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Osceola Freear Thomas, August 2018 [acc. 2018-054]

Separated Materials

Item removed: 1 photograph to Photograph Collection

Legal Status

Copyright for this material may have been transferred to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection or may have been retained by the creators/authors (or their descendants) of this set of papers or records, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Please contact SCPC staff for further information.

Processing Information

This collection was processed, and finding aid created, by Anne M. Yoder (Archivist)

Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Find It at the Library

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