Samuel Orr (July 11, 1890 – August 29, 1981) was a

Polish-American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

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from

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best remembered for being one of the five elected members of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

expelled by the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

during the

First Red Scare The first Red Scare was a period during History of the United States (1918–1945), the early 20th-century history of the United States marked by a widespread fear of Far-left politics, far-left movements, including Bolsheviks, Bolshevism a ...

in 1920.

Biography

Early years

Orr was born on July 11, 1890, in the town of

Rajgród Rajgród is a town in Grajewo County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 1,609 inhabitants (as of June 2016), within the historic region of Podlachia. History Rajgród has a long and rich history, with evidence of human habitation dating back ...

, then a part of Russian-occupied Poland. His family moved to the

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in 1891. Orr graduated from the

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

and practiced law, including time at the firm of

Benjamin N. Cardozo Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (May 24, 1870 – July 9, 1938) was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the New York Court of Appeals from 1914 to 1932 and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1932 until his deat ...

and Nathan Bijur.

Political career

In November 1917, Orr was elected on the Socialist ticket to the

(Bronx Co., 4th D.), and sat in the

141st New York State Legislature The 141st New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 2 to April 13, 1918, during the fourth year of Charles S. Whitman's governorship, in Albany. Background Under th ...

, being one of 10 members of the Socialist Party which were elected to the Assembly of 1918, the high-water mark of the party's fortunes in the state. In November 1919, Orr was re-elected to the Assembly, but on the first day of the session of the

143rd New York State Legislature The 143rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to September 1920, during the second year of Al Smith's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provision ...

he was called before the

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along with four of his Socialist colleagues — Louis Waldman, Charles Solomon, Samuel A. DeWitt, and

August Claessens August "Gus" Claessens (June 17, 1885 – December 9, 1954) was a Swiss-born United States, American socialist politician, best known as one of the five New York State Assembly, New York Assemblymen expelled from that body during the First Red Sc ...

. The five were charged with being unfit for membership in the Assembly through their membership in the Socialist Party and were suspended from their seats by a vote of 140 to 6. A protracted political trial before the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary followed to determine the fitness of the five Socialists to take their seats, which ran throughout the winter and spring. The so-called "trial" began on January 20, 1920.

Morris Hillquit Morris Hillquit (August 1, 1869 – October 8, 1933) was a founder and leader of the Socialist Party of America and prominent labor lawyer in New York City's Lower East Side. Together with Eugene V. Debs and Congressman Victor L. Berger, Hillqu ...

and

Seymour Stedman Seymour "Stedy" Stedman (July 4, 1871 – July 9, 1948) was an American from Chicago who rose from shepherd and janitor to become a prominent civil liberties lawyer and a leader of the Socialist Party of America. He is best remembered as the 192 ...

were the lead attorneys in handling the case for the Socialist defendants. The group was formally expelled on April 1, 1920. All five were re-elected at a special election on September 16, and appeared to take their seats at the beginning of the special session on September 20. The next day, Orr and DeWitt were permitted to take their seats, but Claessens, Solomon and Waldman were expelled again. Protesting against the re-expulsion of their comrades, DeWitt and Orr resigned their seats. Samuel Orr was re-elected to the State Assembly in November 1920, and took

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his seat in the

144th New York State Legislature The 144th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5 to April 16, 1921, during the first year of Nathan L. Miller's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the p ...

for the session of 1921. In 1922, Orr ran in the 22nd District for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

, but lost. He ran again in 1928 in the same district, without success. In 1933, he ran in the 21st District, and lost once again. Orr ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in New York's 23rd congressional district in 1926, 1930 and 1934 on the Socialist ticket, but lost each time. He was once again a candidate in 1938 on the

American Labor Party The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of ...

ticket, but was ultimately replaced for the nomination. Samuel Orr 1953 Edit

Orr was appointed Special Deputy

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

in 1938, serving through 1941. He was appointed a city magistrate by Mayor

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry La Guardia (born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 99th mayor of New Yo ...

in 1942, serving for 10 years until his retirement. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Bronx County Judge in 1943. Orr was the Liberal candidate for Bronx County Judge in 1953, coming in second place with 25% of the vote, and for

Bronx County District Attorney The Bronx County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for Bronx County, which is coterminous with the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws. (Feder ...

in 1955, coming in third place with 13% of the vote. In 1962, Orr was appointed chairman of the Senior Citizens Committee of the New York State Democratic Campaign Committee ahead of that year's elections.

Death and legacy

Samuel Orr died at Montefiore Hospital in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

on August 29, 1981.

Footnotes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Orr, Samuel 1890 births 1981 deaths American activists American trade union leaders American Marxists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States New York University School of Law alumni New York (state) lawyers Socialist Party of America politicians from New York (state) Fiorello La Guardia political appointees Expelled members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from the Bronx 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature