- Charles Edward
Coughlin
- Charles Coughlin was a Roman Catholic priest
from Detroit. Tens of millions of Americans listened to his radio speeches during the
Depression. In November 1934 he founded the National Union for Social Justice movement.
Father Coughlin was the co-founder of the Union Party and after the elections of 1936 he
became an advocate of fascism. During World War II Coughlin's speeches became too
subversive and in 1942 the Vatican and the American government forced him to abandon his
career as a radio priest.
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- William Lemke
- William Lemke was an independent
Representative from North Dakota. He tried to protect the interests of the lower- and
middleclass MidWest farmers against the power of big business and was euphoric when
Congress passed the Frazier-Lemke Bankruptcy Bill in 1934. The U.S. Supreme Court declared
the Act 'unconstitutional' in 1935. But when it turned out that President Roosevelt did
not want to save Lemke's Act, the prairie rebel from North Dakota decided in 1936 to
oppose Roosevelt as the presidential candidate of the Union Party. The uncharismatic
leader of the Union Party lost the elections.
- Huey Pierce Long
- Huey Long was elected governor of Louisiana
in 1928 and Senator in 1930. Long supported Roosevelt in 1932. In 1934 he founded the
Share Our Wealth movement and presented a soak-the-rich Share Our Wealth plan to the
nation. The Kingfish from Louisiana very popular among the common people and was a
potential third party candidate for the presidential elections in 1936. In September 1935
however, Senator Huey Long was assassinated in Baton Rouge. For more information about
Huey Pierce Long, go to:
- Louisiana
Political History Museum
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- Gerald Lyman Kenneth
Smith
- Gerald Smith was an ex-minister when he
joined the Share Our Wealth movement of Senator Huey Long. Smith became chief organizer of
the SOW movement. After the death of Huey Long he joined Doc Townsend and was one of the
co-founders of the Union Party in June 1936. After the disastrous elections of 1936 Smith
collaborated with American fascist and nativist movements. Several times he participated
in presidential elections, but lost badly.
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- Francis Everett
Townsend
- Francis Townsend was retired doctor and lived
in California during the Depression of the 1930s. He was frequently confronted with the
inhuman fate of the impoverished old age Americans and decided to change their situation.
In 1934 he founded the Old Age Revolving Pensions movement and presented his Townsend
(Pension) Plan to the nation. While under investigation of Congress, Townsend became the
fourth founding father of the Union Party in June 1936. After the defeat of the Union
Party in November 1936, Doc Townsend continued to defend the interests of the old age
Americans until his death in 1960.
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