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Creator
Liberal Party of New York State
Call number
MssCol 1751
Physical description
160.83 linear feet (177 boxes, 27 volumes). 52 audio recordings
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Liberal Party of New York State records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply
Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.

The Liberal Party of New York State, the most successful third party in the United States in the twentieth-century, was organized in New York City in 1944 by two prominent trade union leaders, David Dubinsky, president of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and Alex Rose, president of the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers Union. The records (1936-2002) contain correspondence (mainly) of the executive director, Ben Davidson; records of the publicity director; administrative records; the Trade Union Council of the Party; minutes of the New York County Liberal Party and of the State Committee of the American Labor Party; press releases; printed ephemera; scrapbooks of clippings and memorabilia; and sound recordings of party officials and candidates.

Biographical/historical information

The Liberal Party of New York State, the most successful third party in the United States in the twentieth-century, was organized in New York City in 1944 by two prominent trade union leaders, David Dubinsky, president of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and Alex Rose, president of the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers Union. Both were instrumental in the founding of the American Labor Party (ALP) in 1936.

The ALP, an offshoot of Labor's Nonpartisan League, was intended to strengthen electoral support for the Democratic Party in New York by offering to the liberal and independent voter an alternative to the traditional party ticket. The ALP by 1940 had amassed a following of 400,000 voters and wielded on occasion the balance of power in municipal and state elections.

Within the party, however, an increasingly bitter struggle developed between the moderates, led by Rose and Dubinsky, and a radical or Communist wing, led by Sidney Hillman (president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union), for control of the party's all-powerful state committee. The struggle came to a head during the 1944 primary elections when the Hillman faction, which had already taken control of the party in its New York City stronghold, won a decisive victory over the moderates and seized control of the state committee. Dubinsky, Rose and their followers promptly resigned from the ALP and formed the Liberal Party of New York State. The ALP destroyed itself in 1948 when, forsaking Harry Truman, it threw its support to the candidate of the Progressive Party (Henry A. Wallace) and ultimately merged with that party.

Since its founding, the Liberal Party has sought to offer to the liberal, progressive, and independent voter in New York an alternative to the two major political parties. Through the practice of coalition politics, it has provided encouragement and support to reform- and liberal-minded politicians in the other parties. Since its first year, when it gave Franklin D. Roosevelt his margin of victory in New York, the Liberal Party has continued to exert a strong influence on national, state and local elections.

In 1948, the Liberal Party was the main supporter of Truman in New York, and in 1960 it produced the margin of victory for Kennedy. In gubernatorial elections it was responsible for the election of Averell Harriman in 1954, and it gave Hugh Carey strong support in l974. By siphoning off enough votes for its own candidate (Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.) during the 1966 gubernatorial campaign, it defeated the Democratic Party candidate (Frank O'Connor), of whom it disapproved, and insured the election of a liberal Republican (Nelson A. Rockefeller).

In 1961, the Liberal Party defeated the Democratic Party machine in New York in all five boroughs which had opposed the re-election of Mayor Wagner, and in 1965 and 1969 it gave decisive support to the mayoral campaigns of John V. Lindsay.

The Liberal Party supported Rudolph Giuliani's first attempt at becoming Mayor of New York City in 1989. He lost to David Dinkins by a narrow margin. Giuliani ran again in 1993 and 1997 with the support of the Liberal Party. He won both times. In 1998, then-Lt. Governor Betsy McCaughy Ross switched to the Democratic Party and ran as Governor against her boss, Governor George Pataki. When the Democrats refused to help her campaign, the Liberal Party stepped in. Despite a well-run campaign, the Liberal Party's candidate for Governor failed to win even two percent of the state-wide vote.

During the 2002 Governor's race, Andrew Cuomo, endorsed by the Liberal Party, abandoned his campaign months before the election. As a result, the Liberal Party failed to receive enough votes (15,761 of the 50,000 needed) to be automatically included on subsequent ballots. It ceased operations soon after.

The Liberal Party, by the nomination of independent candidates and by the participation in fusion campaigns (a candidate can be the nominee of multiple parties and aggregate the votes received on all the different ballot lines), has influenced the outcome of numerous elections at the local level in boroughs, counties, and assembly and judicial districts.

On national issues, the Liberal Party has advocated measures providing for full employment, affordable housing, consumer and environmental protection, and women's rights. It was the first political party to call for the ending of the bombing and of the war in Vietnam and it was also the first to call for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.

Structurally, the Liberal Party was composed of a state committee (which was the supreme governing power of the party), county and assembly district committees, a state convention, and judicial district conventions. The state committee, which was composed of five members elected biennially from each assembly district, selected the state chairman and other officers. This state committee then established standing committees and the state executive committee. The state executive committee administered the affairs of the party when the state committee was not in session. The county and assembly district committees were responsible for the management of the party at the local level.

State conventions and judicial district conventions, composed of delegates elected from the assembly districts, were held for the purpose of nominating candidates for political offices and for the office of state supreme court justice.

Through the years, the Liberal Party's officers included, in addition to Messrs. Rose and Dubinsky, numerous other distinguished New Yorkers, including John L. Childs, George S. Counts, Adolf A. Berle, Jr., Dr. Timothy W. Costello, Dr. Donald Szantho Harrington (Chairman), and Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr (co-founder). Ben Davidson, James S. Notaro, Carl F. Grillo and Martin Oesterreich, served as its executive directors.

Scope and arrangement

The records (1936-2002) are arranged into sixteen series that contain correspondence (mainly) of the executive director, Ben Davidson; records of the publicity director; administrative records; records of the party's Trade Union Council; minutes of the New York County Liberal Party and of the State Committee of the American Labor Party; press releases; printed ephemera; scrapbooks of clippings and memorabilia; and sound recordings of party officials and candidates.

The Liberal Party of New York State records are arranged in sixteen series:

  • Series I: Executive Director
    1942-1975
    74.08 linear feet (77 boxes)

    The records (1942-75) consisting of correspondence and collateral papers are arranged alphabetically by year in name/subject files. Unsorted records for each year are filed at the end of each alphabetical sequence as are campaign papers (when they form a relatively large group). Beginning in 1959 and following the unsorted papers there is a separate file of correspondence and papers arranged by county (other than New York City counties which are filed in the main alphabetical sequence).

    The bulk of the correspondence is that of Ben Davidson as executive director with regional organizers, and other party officials, labor union officials, politicians, members of Congress and of the state legislature, community and civic leaders and others. The correspondence concerns matters relating to party organization in New York City and in the upstate counties, electoral campaigns, party platforms and legislative programs, state conventions and judicial district conventions, legislation pending in Congress and in the state legislature, fundraising events, dinners, luncheons, and conferences. Many of the files contain a relatively large proportion of printed and near-printed ephemera.

    At the beginning of the series are miscellaneous records (1942-1943) of Alex Rose as executive secretary of the American Labor Party (1942-43); and his records (1944-45) as chairman of the administrative committee of the Liberal Party. There is also some correspondence (l945) of John L. Childs as state chairman of the Liberal Party.

    Extensive correspondence is present with party organizers and regional directors (both in the name/subject files and in the counties files including Jules Aisoff, Angelo Cordaro, Eli Diamond, Clifford Dickinson, Raymond Greiner, and E. Joseph Peperone relative to campaign strategies, organizational matters and the efforts of the party to increase its enrollments and voting strength in upstate counties.

    The counties files contain some enrollment lists. The records of the years 1969-1975 are fragmentary. Some of the records (2 lin. ft.) mainly for the year 1947 and a few records for the years 1957-58 have been damaged by mold and will require extensive physical treatment before they can be used (the damaged records are located in Containers 133-134).

    The following is a list of names and subjects frequently repeated in this series: annual dinners; A.A. Berle, Jr.; Bronx Co.; Clubs (of LP); Committee at Large (of LP); Angelo Cordaro; Congressional correspondence; County committees; County directors; Ben Davidson-personal; Eli Diamond; Clifford Dickinson; David Dubinsky (mainly correspondence to him); Election campaigns; Raymond Greiner; Inquiries; Kings Co.; Law committee; Letters to legislators; Liberal News; Municipal Affairs Committee; National Legislative Committee; National Legislative Program; New York County; Officers joint correspondence; Platform committee; Policy committee; Joseph M. Pomarlen; Queens County; Radio speeches; Richmond County; Alex Rose (mainly correspondence to him); Spanish Speaking Division; Speaker's bureau; State convention; State executive committee; State law committee; State legislative committee; State legislative program; State organizers; State policy committee; Telegrams; Trade Union Council; Young Committee at Large; and Young Liberals. The files for 1955 and 1958 contain correspondence with the novelist James T. Farrell.

  • Series II: Publicity Director
    1952-1964
    2.0 linear feet (2 boxes)

    This series contains correspondence of three publicity directors: Michael Fooner, Warren Montross, Albert Margolies, and Gerald R. Coleman.

    Fooner's file contains mainly memoranda, reports, drafts of statements and press releases, near-printed and printed ephemera. Margolies corresponded as director of research and legislation. Coleman corresponded as chairman of the municipal affairs committee and as executive secretary of the United Hatters, Cap and Millinery Workers International Union. Also included is some correspondence of Ben Davidson.

  • Series III: Administrative Files
    1944-2002
    11.04 linear feet (27 boxes)

    The earlier material (ca. 1944-1975) is mostly literature from various national, state, and local campaigns and includes flyers, brochures, newsletters, solicitations and speeches. The later dated material (1980-2002) consists of files related to acceptances/declinations, authorizations, judicial district conventions, county conventions (mostly the five counties of NYC, but some from upstate), annual dinners and fundraising events, press releases, board of election results, lists of enrollees to the party, campaign literature (including positions on issues), mailings, nominations, resignations, and polling information. Of special note is material concerning the schism in the party during the 1980s (see boxes 152-154) in which Donald S. Harrington and Raymond B. Harding battled for leadership.

  • Series IV: Liberal News/Liberal Digest
    1952-1969
    3.0 linear feet (3 containers)

    The Liberal News was a monthly or bimonthly periodical issued by the party to subscribers. The Liberal Digest, a yearbook, was published on the occasion of annual dinners of the party. The yearbooks include a complete listing of the state and county officers of the party. The records (1958-61) consist of correspondence of Albert Margolies as editor of the publications, drafts of articles and press releases and copies (1959-66) of the Liberal News and copies (1952, 1957, 1963-69) of the Liberal Digest. Included is some correspondence of Margolies as publicity director and as director of research and legislation.

  • Series V: Trade Union Council records
    1945-1964
    5.0 linear feet (5 boxes)

    The Trade Union Council, an integral part of the party was formed to strengthen the ties between the party and the trade union movement, and to serve as an agency for political education and publicity. The records (1945-64) consist of a topical file of correspondence of Joseph M. Pomarlen, executive secretary and Charles S. Zimmerman, chairman, with labor union officials, state assemblymen, congressmen and others relative to legislation affecting the labor movement including the Taft-Hartley law, Communist infiltration of unions, councilmanic, congressional and union elections, the presidential campaigns of 1960 and 1964, meetings, luncheons and other matters.Included are minutes of meetings and some correspondence of Alex Rose.

  • Series VI: Electoral Documents
    1952-1974
    4.0 linear feet (4 boxes)

    These records, arranged chronologically, consist of documents submitted by the party to boards of elections in compliance with the state election laws. Included are statements of positions to be filled, designating petitions, acceptances of nominations, declinations, and minutes of judicial district conventions of the party.

  • Series VII: Legislative Bills
    1956-1966
    2.0 linear feet (2 boxes)

    The legislative bills consist of printed bills of the New York State Assembly and Senate. They are arranged in serial order by bill number through 1957, and the remainder by subject by year.

  • Series VIII: Minutes
    1936-1943
    1.0 linear feet (1 box)

    This series contains minutes (1936-43) of the American Labor Party; and minutes (1944-65) of the Liberal Party. The ALP minutes consist mainly of meetings of the state committee, but include also minutes of the first meeting of the women's division; minutes of the credentials committee, the administrative committee; the proceedings (1938) of the Trade Union Conference. Of particular interest are the minutes (July 1936) of the first meeting of the Labor's Non-Partisan League which was called to form a section of the league in New York State and which resulted instead in the formation of the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party minutes consist of meetings of the executive committee of the New York County Liberal Party including its first meeting (July l2, 1944); its campaign policy committee, administrative committee and committee convention.

  • Series IX: Photographs
    1944-1989
    2.46 linear feet (5 boxes)

    This series holds images of party officials, politicians, luncheon meetings, campaigns and other political events. Candidate portraits were used in campaign materials, while photographs of events document Liberal Party anniversary dinners, conventions, campaigns and other political rallies. The miscellaneous photos include images of buildings, cityscapes, cars, crowds, patriotic symbols and voting booths. The photographs consist of unsorted 8xl0 prints, contact prints, and prints of varying sizes.

  • Series X: Press Releases
    1948-1974
    8.0 linear feet (8 boxes)
  • Series XI: Printed Ephemera
    1942-1978
    8.0 linear feet (8 boxes)

    The printed ephemera consists of a chronological file followed by a subject file. Included are materials generated by the Liberal Party.

  • Series XII: Financial Records
    1947-1977
    15.0 linear feet (15 boxes)

    These records (ca. 1948-70) consist of financial reports and statements; bills paid; miscellaneous records; account books; accounts (loose sheets); canceled checks and check stubs. The financial reports (1948-69) include weekly statements of receipts and disbursements, reports of county committees, receipts and expenses for dinners, and political campaigns including the Stevenson-Kefauver presidential campaign (1956) and citizens' committees.

    There are also financial statements (1949-70) of the treasurer of the political committee consisting of copies of reports filed with the secretary of state and/or board of elections of New York City listing campaign receipts and expenditures. The bills paid (1954-67) which are arranged alphabetically by year consist of copies of bills and vouchers authorizing their payment. Included are expense statements of party organizers. The 'Western Union' folders in this sub-series contain copies of texts of outgoing telegrams.

    The miscellaneous records (1947-62) include social security, withholding and payroll tax records; campaign budgets; correspondence between Ben Davidson and Alex Rose and between Davidson and county committees and labor union officials regarding contributions; and records of receipts from Liberal Digest advertisements.

    The account books (1953-63) include a ledger, payroll books, receipt books for dinners, luncheons and cocktail parties (including the Carnegie Hall rally of 1950), subscriptions to the Liberal News and Liberal Digest, and campaign receipts including the campaign for Stevenson-Kefauver (1956) and for John F. Kennedy (1960). Included also are loose sheets (some fragmentary) of various accounts including cash receipts, petty cash, disbursements, accounts payable, ledger and journal fragments.

    Lastly are check stubs (ca. 1958-68) and canceled checks (ca. 1958-77).

  • Series XIII: Audio Recordings
    1947-1969
    52 audio recordings

    The audio recordings hold press conferences and announcements; candidate forums and discussions; speeches by party officials and candidates; interviews with party officials; campaign radio advertisements; and recordings of the party's 1965 convention. Individuals featured in the recordings include Adolf A. Berle, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, Mike Wallace (on a CBS radio report), Rudolph Halley, and Russell Davenport. Also present are campaign advertisements for John Lindsay.

  • Series XIV: Oversized, Unsorted, and Damaged Records
    circa 1947-1966
    6.25 linear feet (7 boxes)

    The oversized materials consist of two campaign posters filed in the charter case; a scrapbook (1966) of campaign schedules; and engravers plates for party cartoons filed in Container 127 (with the phonodisc). The unsorted records consist mainly of papers other than correspondence including fragments of reports and memoranda, printed and near-printed ephemera.The papers damaged by mold and which cannot be used until treated consist of correspondence of the executive director for the year 1947 and a few 1957-58 files.

  • Series XV: Enrollments
    1960-1971
    12.0 linear feet (12 boxes)

    The enrollments (ca. 1960-1971) consist of typescript and/or mimeographed copies of the names and addresses of enrolled Liberal Party voters arranged within the year by county, city, election district and ward. The lists were transcribed from official enrollment lists published by county boards of election. Many of the published lists are included in the records.

  • Series XVI: Scrapbooks
    1936-1963
    7.0 linear feet (27 volumes, 1 box)

    The scrapbooks (1936-63) which are arranged in chronological order contain extensive press documentation relative to the American Labor Party and to the Liberal Party. The ALP scrapbooks contain in addition to clippings leaflets, flyers, press releases and memorabilia of the party.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by the Liberal Party of New York State, 1981 and 2002.

Revision History

Revised by Matthew Snyder, (2020)

Processing information

Processed by John D. Stinson; revised by Leslie Reyman.

Related Material

Donald Harrington Papers. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Access restrictions

Contact the Manuscripts and Archives division (manuscripts@nypl.org) with questions regarding access to audio and moving image materials.