Eugene V. Debs

Eugene V. Debs
Born:	November 5, 1855 Terre Haute, Indiana
Charges:	Violation of the Espionage Act of 1917 (10-count indictment; convicted on 3 counts) for a June 16, 1918 anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio
Sentence:	10 years imprisonment (served ~2.5 years before commutation)
Released:	December 25, 1921
Facility:
Status:	Deceased (died October 20, 1926); sentence commuted by President Harding, released December 25, 1921

Eugene Victor Debs (November 5, 1855 - October 20, 1926) was an American labor organizer and a five-time Socialist Party presidential candidate. On June 16, 1918, he delivered an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio, which resulted in his conviction in September 1918 for violating the Espionage Act of 1917. In Cleveland, U.S. District Judge David C. Westenhaver sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Debs began serving his term in April 1919 and was transferred to the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta in June 1919, where he was held as Prisoner No. 9653. While incarcerated, he ran for president in 1920 and received roughly 914,000 votes. President Warren G. Harding commuted his sentence to time served, and Debs was released on December 25, 1921.

Early Life and Career

Eugene V. Debs was born on November 5, 1855, in Terre Haute, Indiana. He began working as a railroad fireman around 1870. In February 1875, he became a charter member and secretary of the Vigo Lodge of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, later serving as the organization's Grand Secretary and magazine editor. In June 1893, Debs organized the American Railway Union, which is described as the first industrial union in the United States. He was a central figure in the 1894 Pullman Strike/Boycott and was jailed for contempt of court from 1894 to 1895 in connection with the strike. He later ran for U.S. president as a Socialist candidate in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920.

Criminal Case

On June 16, 1918, Debs delivered an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio, criticizing U.S. involvement in World War I and the prosecution of others under the Espionage Act. A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a 10-count indictment on June 29, 1918, and Debs was arrested the following day, on June 30, 1918. The indictment charged him under the Espionage Act of 1917 with attempting to incite insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, and refusal of duty in the armed forces, and with obstructing military recruitment and enlistment.

Trial and Sentencing

Debs was tried from September 10 to September 12, 1918, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland before Judge David C. Westenhaver. The prosecution was led by U.S. Attorney Edwin S. Wertz. Debs called no witnesses during the trial and addressed the jury and court directly. On September 12, 1918, he was convicted by the jury on three counts and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the conviction in Debs v. United States, 249 U.S. 211 (1919), decided on March 10, 1919. The opinion, written by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., relied on the reasoning previously established in Schenck v. United States.

Incarceration

Debs began serving his sentence at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville on April 13, 1919, though some sources cite April 12, 1919. This was a state facility used to hold him initially. In June 1919, with his own account giving the date of June 14, 1919, he was transferred to the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was designated Prisoner No. 9653. Debs was not held at a modern FCI Atlanta (low-security) facility, but rather, during his time there from 1919 to 1921, he was incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta, also known as the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, which was a high-security federal penitentiary. While imprisoned in Atlanta, he ran for president in the 1920 election. He received roughly 914,000 votes, with figures cited by sources ranging from about 913,000 to 915,000, which was the highest popular vote total for a Socialist Party presidential candidate.

Release and Aftermath

President Warren G. Harding commuted the sentence of Debs, along with those of a number of other wartime prisoners, to time served. The commutation was ordered on December 23, 1921, and became effective on Christmas Day. Debs was released from the Atlanta penitentiary on December 25, 1921. His release was a commutation, not a pardon, and it did not restore his citizenship rights. Following his release, he returned to Terre Haute, Indiana, and remained active in socialist politics. Debs died on October 20, 1926, at the Lindlahr Sanitarium in Elmhurst, Illinois, and was buried in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What did Eugene V. Debs do?

Debs was convicted in September 1918 of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 for an anti-war speech he gave in Canton, Ohio, on June 16, 1918, that criticized U.S. participation in World War I and the wartime prosecution of dissenters. A jury found him guilty on three counts of attempting to obstruct military recruitment and incite disloyalty in the armed forces.

Q: How long was his sentence?

He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by Judge David C. Westenhaver. He served about two and a half years before President Warren G. Harding commuted the sentence to time served.

Q: Where was Eugene V. Debs incarcerated?

He first served at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville beginning April 13, 1919, then was transferred in June 1919 to the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta (the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary), a high-security federal penitentiary, where he was held as Prisoner No. 9653. He was not held at a low-security FCI.

Q: When was he released?

President Harding commuted his sentence effective Christmas Day, and Debs was released from the Atlanta penitentiary on December 25, 1921. It was a commutation to time served, not a pardon.

Q: Did he really run for president from prison?

Yes. Debs was the Socialist Party candidate for president in the 1920 election while incarcerated in Atlanta and received roughly 914,000 votes, the highest popular vote total ever for a Socialist Party presidential candidate.

See also

• Index of Federal Prison Facilities