James Weinstein (July 17, 1926 – June 16, 2005) was an American historian and editor best known as the founder and publisher of ''

In These Times In These Times may refer to: *In These Times (magazine), ''In These Times'' (magazine), an American monthly magazine of news and opinion *In These Times (Peter, Paul, and Mary album), ''In These Times'' (Peter, Paul, and Mary album), a 2004 album b ...

'', a progressive magazine started in 1976 in Chicago.

Early life and education

James Weinstein was born in Manhattan on July 17, 1926, to an affluent family whose money came from real estate. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during World War II, and afterward, earned a bachelor's degree in government from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1949, and a master's degree in history from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1956.

Political views and affiliations

As a young man, Weinstein supported the 1948 presidential campaign of

Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...

, who ran on the Progressive Party ticket. The campaign was backed by the Communist Party, which he joined that same year. As a member of the Communist Party, Weinstein made the acquaintance of Julius Rosenberg and was heavily surveilled by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

, whose file on him ran over 2,000 pages in length. Weinstein left the party in 1956, in objection to the Soviet Union's repression of the Hungarian Revolution. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, Weinstein ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York's 19th congressional district New York's 19th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York (state), New York’s Catskill Mountains, Catskills, Hudson Valley, greater Capital District (New York), Capit ...

as an independent socialist candidate, advocating an immediate end to American involvement in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, but he lost, receiving 3.8% of the vote. After founding ''In These Times'', he continued to identify as a socialist, but in his editorials, he encouraged leftists to work within the Democratic Party. In the 1980s, Weinstein publicly affirmed that he believed that the Rosenbergs had been spies, which alienated some on the left.

Career

Weinstein lived and worked in San Francisco,

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, and

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, England, teaching at the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

's Centre for the Study of Social History, before becoming a central figure among left-wing Democrats in his adopted home of Chicago, where he founded ''In These Times'' in 1976. He was inspired by Civil Rights icon

Julian Bond Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the ea ...

, and intellectuals

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

and

Herbert Marcuse Herbert Marcuse ( ; ; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German–American philosopher, social critic, and Political philosophy, political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at ...

, both teaching at the University of Chicago at the time. He edited the magazine until he retired in 1999. Weinstein wrote numerous history books, including ''The Decline of Socialism in America'', ''The Corporate Ideal in the Liberal State'', and ''The Long Detour: The History and Future of the American Left''. He also founded the journals '' Studies on the Left'' and ''Socialist Revolution'' (later renamed ''Socialist Review'' and ultimately '' Radical Society''). He was one of the founders of Modern Times Bookstore in San Francisco.

Personal life

Weinstein was a committed fan of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

and enjoyed experimenting with culinary recipes. He was married four times and divorced three times, with his fourth marriage, to Beth Maschinot, lasting until his death; he had two children from his first marriage. Weinstein died from brain cancer at his home in Chicago on June 16, 2005, aged 78.

Works

* "Radicalism in the Midst of Normalcy," ''Journal of American History,'' vol. 52, no. 4 (March 1966), pp. 773–790
In JSTOR
* ''The Decline of Socialism in America, 1912-1925.'' New York: Monthly Review Press, 1967. * ''The Corporate Idea in the Liberal State, 1900-1918.'' Boston: Beacon Press, 1968. * ''The Communists of the 1930s and the New Left.'' With Max Gordon. New York: Viewpoint Publishing Group, 1976.

References

External links

In These Times"Stopping the Drive to War" by James Weinstein
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein, James 1926 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Academics of the University of Warwick American expatriates in England American magazine publishers (people) American male essayists American male journalists American male non-fiction writers American political writers Candidates in the 1966 United States elections Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Cornell University alumni Deaths from brain cancer in Illinois Illinois Democrats Illinois socialists Members of the Communist Party USA Military personnel from New York City New York (state) independents New York (state) socialists Old Testament scholars United States Navy personnel of World War II Writers from Chicago Writers from Manhattan