Frank Johns
Encyclopedia
Frank Tetes Johns was a carpenter
and American socialist political activist and politician. He is best remembered for having been twice nominated for President of the United States
by the Socialist Labor Party of America
.
.
(SLP) was forced to appear on the Oregon ballot in those years due to state electoral laws.
Johns was nominated for President of the United States
by the Socialist Labor Party of America
(SLP) in 1924. At the time of his selection, Johns was the youngest person ever to be nominated by a political party to run for President, just 255 days over the constitutional requirement of 35 years. Johns and running mate Verne L. Reynolds received 33,904 votes from 20 states in which they appeared on the ballot.
The official report by the SLP's governing National Executive Committee to the organization's 1928 convention cast the 1924 campaign of Johns and Reynolds in a favorable light:
Satisfied with their previous performance, the May National Convention of the Socialist Labor Party in New York City
renominated their 1924 ticket of Frank T. Johns for President and Verne L. Reynolds for Vice President for the 1928 campaign.
, making his first appearance of the campaign in the Central Oregon
town of Bend
on Sunday afternoon, May 20. At the end of his speech, delivered at a park on the banks of the Deschutes River, Johns was answering the questions of some of those who had attended his speech. Suddenly, cries rang out from a young boy who had fallen from a footbridge into the river and was being swept away by the current. Johns instantly threw off his coat and dove into the frigid river in an attempt to retrieve the boy. He swam about 75 yards to reach the youngster and began to swim with him, pulling the boy to shore. A short distance from safety Johns' strength gave out and the pair were swept away to their deaths.
Frank Johns was 39 years old at the time of his death, and the boy he unsuccessfully tried to rescue, John C. "Jack" Rhodes, Jr. of Bend, was 10.
Distressed by the loss but choosing to move onward, on May 22, 1928 the NEC of the Socialist Labor Party made Verne Reynolds its new nominee for President. The party then added Jeremiah D. Crowley of Syracuse, New York
to the ticket as its new choice for Vice President on June 7.
Johns was posthumously awarded a Carnegie Medal for Heroism
, which paid his widowed wife (who died in 1933) and the couple's two daughters a stipend of $1,000 per year.
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
and American socialist political activist and politician. He is best remembered for having been twice nominated for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
by the Socialist Labor Party of America
Socialist Labor Party of America
The Socialist Labor Party of America , established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party, is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America, the party changed its name in 1877 and has...
.
Early life
Frank T. Johns was born February 23, 1889. He was a carpenter by trade and made his home in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Political career
Johns ran twice for U.S. Congress in the Oregon 3rd District, where he was the 1920 and 1922 nominee of the "Industrial Labor Party." This organization was name by which the Socialist Labor Party of AmericaSocialist Labor Party of America
The Socialist Labor Party of America , established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party, is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America, the party changed its name in 1877 and has...
(SLP) was forced to appear on the Oregon ballot in those years due to state electoral laws.
Johns was nominated for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
by the Socialist Labor Party of America
Socialist Labor Party of America
The Socialist Labor Party of America , established in 1876 as the Workingmen's Party, is the oldest socialist political party in the United States and the second oldest socialist party in the world. Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of America, the party changed its name in 1877 and has...
(SLP) in 1924. At the time of his selection, Johns was the youngest person ever to be nominated by a political party to run for President, just 255 days over the constitutional requirement of 35 years. Johns and running mate Verne L. Reynolds received 33,904 votes from 20 states in which they appeared on the ballot.
The official report by the SLP's governing National Executive Committee to the organization's 1928 convention cast the 1924 campaign of Johns and Reynolds in a favorable light:
"An intense campaign was carried on in 1924 with the two candidates heading the force of agitatorsAgitatorAn agitator is a person who actively supports some ideology or movement with speeches and especially actions. The Agitators were a political movement as well as elected representatives of soldiers, including the New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell, during the English Civil War. They were also known...
in the campaign. Both Comrades Johns and Reynolds performed splendid work for the Party, both of them exerting themselves almost to the point of exhaustion. Both candidates toured from east to west and addressed a great number of outdoor meetings with the number of attentive listeners running into the thousands. We succeeded in getting on the ballot in twenty states and although the vote that was cast might not seem proportionate to the effort expended, still we have cause to be satisfied with the result, for the SLP understands that it is not primarily a question of the number of votes cast, but the amount of agitation done and the number of workers reached, that counts."
Satisfied with their previous performance, the May National Convention of the Socialist Labor Party in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
renominated their 1924 ticket of Frank T. Johns for President and Verne L. Reynolds for Vice President for the 1928 campaign.
Death and legacy
The 1928 convention of the SLP adjourned on May 14 and the party's candidates immediately began to prepare to start their tours of America to speak on behalf of their candidacies and the socialist cause. Frank Johns headed home for OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, making his first appearance of the campaign in the Central Oregon
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
town of Bend
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
on Sunday afternoon, May 20. At the end of his speech, delivered at a park on the banks of the Deschutes River, Johns was answering the questions of some of those who had attended his speech. Suddenly, cries rang out from a young boy who had fallen from a footbridge into the river and was being swept away by the current. Johns instantly threw off his coat and dove into the frigid river in an attempt to retrieve the boy. He swam about 75 yards to reach the youngster and began to swim with him, pulling the boy to shore. A short distance from safety Johns' strength gave out and the pair were swept away to their deaths.
Frank Johns was 39 years old at the time of his death, and the boy he unsuccessfully tried to rescue, John C. "Jack" Rhodes, Jr. of Bend, was 10.
Distressed by the loss but choosing to move onward, on May 22, 1928 the NEC of the Socialist Labor Party made Verne Reynolds its new nominee for President. The party then added Jeremiah D. Crowley of Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
to the ticket as its new choice for Vice President on June 7.
Johns was posthumously awarded a Carnegie Medal for Heroism
Carnegie Hero Fund
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, also known as Carnegie Hero Fund, was established to recognize persons who perform extraordinary acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada, and to provide financial assistance for those disabled and the dependents of those killed saving or...
, which paid his widowed wife (who died in 1933) and the couple's two daughters a stipend of $1,000 per year.
Works
- "Reform Straws Show How the Revolutionary Wind Blows," Weekly People, vol. 34, no. 5 (April 26, 1924), pg. 5.
- "Letter of Acceptance of Frank T. Johns, Socialist Labor Party Candidate for President of the US," May 15, 1924. Appendix to 16th National Convention, Socialist Labor Party, May 10-13, 1924: Minutes, Reports, Resolutions, Platform, Etc. New York: National Executive Committee, Socialist Labor Party, 1924; pp. 149-153.
Further reading
- William Ross Knudsen, Memorial Souvenir to Frank T. Johns, Candidate for President of the United States, 1924-1928 for the Socialist Labor Party of America: Memorial Oration. n.c.: n.p., n.d. [1928]. —One copy only extant, Multnomah County Central Library, Portland, OR.
External links
- Carnegie Hero Fund Commission official website, carnegiehero.org Retrieved March 10, 2010.