Progressive Lawyers under Siege

Moral Panic during the McCarthy Years

Colin Wark and John F. Galliher

This is a study of a progressive law firm and its three partners. The firm was founded in 1936 and existed until the death of one partner in 1965. The partners were harassed by the FBI primarily for defending labor union members and leaders and the defense of both. The firm’s primary client was Harry Bridges, the long term President on the International Longshoreman’s and Warehouseman’s Union (ILWU). The irony was that the more the FBI persecuted labor unions, the more business the firm had from those harassed by the FBI. During this time the FBI was primarily interested in controlling the Communist Party. While the clients of the firm were sometimes Communists, the law partners were not Communist Party members. In both of these ways the FBI was wasting its time in persecuting this firm. Although the primary data used involved existing records (for example all of the partners had extensive FBI files), we also interviewed colleagues and relatives of the partners.

Lexington Books

Pages: 304 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7391-9560-4 • Hardback • April 2015 • $98.00 • (£75.00)

978-0-7391-9561-1 • eBook • April 2015 • $93.00 • (£72.00)

Subjects: Political Science / American Government / Legislative Branch, History / United States / 20th Century, Law / Labor & Employment, Law / Legal History, Law / Legal Profession, Political Science / Civil Rights

Progressive Lawyers under Siege

Moral Panic during the McCarthy Years

Hardback

eBook

Summary

This is a study of a progressive law firm and its three partners. The firm was founded in 1936 and existed until the death of one partner in 1965. The partners were harassed by the FBI primarily for defending labor union members and leaders and the defense of both. The firm’s primary client was Harry Bridges, the long term President on the International Longshoreman’s and Warehouseman’s Union (ILWU). The irony was that the more the FBI persecuted labor unions, the more business the firm had from those harassed by the FBI. During this time the FBI was primarily interested in controlling the Communist Party. While the clients of the firm were sometimes Communists, the law partners were not Communist Party members. In both of these ways the FBI was wasting its time in persecuting this firm. Although the primary data used involved existing records (for example all of the partners had extensive FBI files), we also interviewed colleagues and relatives of the partners.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 304 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7391-9560-4 • Hardback • April 2015 • $98.00 • (£75.00)

978-0-7391-9561-1 • eBook • April 2015 • $93.00 • (£72.00)

Subjects: Political Science / American Government / Legislative Branch, History / United States / 20th Century, Law / Labor & Employment, Law / Legal History, Law / Legal Profession, Political Science / Civil Rights

Author

Colin Wark is associate professor of criminology and sociology at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

John F. Galliher is professor of sociology at Missouri University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Blacklisting during the Cold WarChapter 3: Lawyers and the Micro Environments in American Law Firms during the
1930s to the 1960s
Chapter 4: San Francisco and the Bay Area during the 1930s through the 1960s
Chapter 5: Harry Bridges Chapter 6: George R. AndersenChapter 7: Norman Leonard
Chapter 8: Richard GladsteinChapter 9: Conclusion: The Creation of Legal CultureEpilogueReferencesAppendix 1: Chronology of the Gladstein FirmAppendix 2: Excerpt from George Andersen’s FBI file. Appendix 3: Excerpt from Norman Leonard’s FBI file.Appendix 4: Excerpt from Richard Gladstein’s FBI file.

Progressive Lawyers under Siege

Moral Panic during the McCarthy Years

Colin Wark and John F. Galliher

Progressive Lawyers under Siege

Moral Panic during the McCarthy Years

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