Walter Liggett
Encyclopedia
Walter W. Liggett was an American journalist.
Liggett was a crusading newspaper editor in the Minnesota
of the 1930s. Founder of the newspaper Midwest American, he specialized in articles about Minneapolis
and Saint Paul
organized crime and their political connections.
Soon after alleging links between the criminal syndicate of Kid Cann
and the administration of Minnesota Governor
Floyd B. Olson
, Liggett was beaten up, prosecuted on trumped-up kidnapping and sodomy charges (and acquitted), and finally died after being machine gunned in the alley behind his apartment on December 9, 1935, in view of his wife and two children. His murder remains unsolved.
Liggett had a noteworthy career, leaving college after a year and working for a succession of newspapers in Saint Paul, Skagway, Alaska
, Washington state, and New York City
. In 1929-1930, he vaulted to national prominence with a series of articles for Plain Talk
magazine which described the corruption wrought by Prohibition
on American cities such as Washington, D.C.
, Boston and Minneapolis. When Congress held its first ever hearings on the efficacy of Prohibition in February 1930, he was the first witness to testify.
Liggett was an activist for the North Dakota-Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party
. He helped set up weekly newspapers to support the cause. He was also outspoken on a number of controversial issues, among them the Sacco and Vanzetti
case and the Thomas Mooney
imprisonment.
During the 1932 Presidential election, Liggett published a negative biography of Herbert Hoover
, The Rise of Herbert Hoover. He harbored a long-held enmity for Hoover dating to the Russian famine of 1921
when, as head of a relief organization, he was investigated for possible Soviet ties by the Bureau of Investigation on Hoover's behest as Secretary of Commerce.
His daughter, Marda Liggett Woodbury, a professional librarian, authored an account of Liggett's life and assassination which was published by the University of Minnesota
Press in 1998.
Liggett was a crusading newspaper editor in the Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
of the 1930s. Founder of the newspaper Midwest American, he specialized in articles about Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
organized crime and their political connections.
Soon after alleging links between the criminal syndicate of Kid Cann
Kid Cann
Isadore Blumenfeld , commonly known as Kid Cann, was a Jewish-American organized crime figure based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for over four decades and remains the most notorious mobster in the history of Minnesota...
and the administration of Minnesota Governor
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
Floyd B. Olson
Floyd B. Olson
Floyd Bjørnstjerne Olson was an American politician. He served as the 22nd Governor of Minnesota from January 6, 1931 to August 22, 1936. He died in office from stomach cancer. He was a member of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, and was the first member of the Farmer-Labor Party to win the...
, Liggett was beaten up, prosecuted on trumped-up kidnapping and sodomy charges (and acquitted), and finally died after being machine gunned in the alley behind his apartment on December 9, 1935, in view of his wife and two children. His murder remains unsolved.
Liggett had a noteworthy career, leaving college after a year and working for a succession of newspapers in Saint Paul, Skagway, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
, Washington state, and 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...
. In 1929-1930, he vaulted to national prominence with a series of articles for Plain Talk
Plain Talk
Plain Talk was the leading American anti-Communist magazine of the late 1940s. Edited by Isaac Don Levine, it featured articles written by many of the leading figures of the time....
magazine which described the corruption wrought by Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
on American cities such as Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Boston and Minneapolis. When Congress held its first ever hearings on the efficacy of Prohibition in February 1930, he was the first witness to testify.
Liggett was an activist for the North Dakota-Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party
Farmer-Labor Party
The first modern Farmer–Labor Party in the United States emerged in Minnesota in 1918. Economic dislocation caused by American entry into World War I put agricultural prices and workers' wages into imbalance with rapidly escalating retail prices during the war years, and farmers and workers sought...
. He helped set up weekly newspapers to support the cause. He was also outspoken on a number of controversial issues, among them the Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
case and the Thomas Mooney
Thomas Mooney
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Mooney was an American political activist and labor leader, who was convicted with Warren K. Billings of the San Francisco Preparedness Day Bombing of 1916...
imprisonment.
During the 1932 Presidential election, Liggett published a negative biography of Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, The Rise of Herbert Hoover. He harbored a long-held enmity for Hoover dating to the Russian famine of 1921
Russian famine of 1921
The Russian famine of 1921, also known as Povolzhye famine, which began in the early spring of that year, and lasted through 1922, was a severe famine that occurred in Bolshevik Russia...
when, as head of a relief organization, he was investigated for possible Soviet ties by the Bureau of Investigation on Hoover's behest as Secretary of Commerce.
His daughter, Marda Liggett Woodbury, a professional librarian, authored an account of Liggett's life and assassination which was published by the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
Press in 1998.