Twentieth Century Radicalism in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Clarence Hemmingsen

Titles: Twentieth Century Radicalism in Minnesota Oral History Project: Interview with Clarence Hemmingsen (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Clarence Hemmingsen was born in Detroit, Michigan. He went to Chicago after the First World War and became a steam pipe fitter. Already a member of the Socialist Party, he enrolled in the Proletarian University, where he was trained as a street speaker. In 1924 he made a national tour, speaking on behalf of the Socialist Party. His political views caused difficulty for his in the United Association of Plumbers and Steam Fitters, to which he belonged. At the very beginning of the Great Depression he was expelled from the union, and found himself unable to get work in his trade. For several years he organized resistance to evictions among the unemployed in Chicago. When he met his future wife, Edna, she persuaded him to move to Duluth, where he had a brother. Shortly thereafter, they moved even further north, joined the Farmer-Labor Party, and in 1937 raised money and built a cabin for Governor Elmer Benson. At the time of the interview, Mr. Hemmingsen was living in a nursing home in Grand Marais. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Soap-box speaking for the Socialist Party. Scott Nearning. Pipefitters' union in Chicago, and his disagreements with it. Chicago city elections. Minnesota Farmer-Labor politics. Raising money for a cabin for Elmer Benson on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Conflicts between Elmer Benson and Hjalmar Petersen, 1936 and 1938. Proletarian University in Chicago. Chicago eviction protests. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview begins and ends rather abruptly, and wanders considerably. The transcript is only partially edited, so the spelling of many names is approximate. RESTRICTIONS ON USE: The tape and transcript cannot be quoted directly for publication.

Dates

• Approximately 1978 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Hemmingsen, Clarence
• interviewer: O'Connell, Tom

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 30.34
• Accession Number: AV1990.228.61
• Link to Finding Aid

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Twentieth Century Radicalism in Minnesota Oral History Project' <OH 30>

Quantity: 1 hour sound cassette 19 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 01:00:54 running time

Subjects

How can we help?

• Help / About Collections Online
• Learn about the Collections
• Contact the Gale Family Library for help with research, orders, and use/licensing
• Have feedback or comments on the new Collections Online system? Please fill in the Collections Online Feedback Form.