Job Harriman
- Actor
Job Harriman was a socialist and founder of the Utopian community Llano del Rio in the Mojave Desert. He ran for vice-president of the United States, governor of California and twice for Los Angles mayor on the Socialist Party ticket only to lose all races.
Born on January 15, 1861, in Clinton County, Indiana, Harriman graduated from Butler University in 1884 and became a minister. Skeptical that organized religion could achieve positive impact on the working class and disappointed with the Democratic Party, Harriman turned to socialism. He also studied law and opened his own law firm in Los Angeles.
He joined the Socialist Party of America and ran for vice-president as a Social Democrat in 1900 on Eugene V. Debs' presidential ticket. He made a previous -- and failed -- bid for governor of California in 1898 on the Socialist Labor Party ticket.
While living in Los Angeles, Harriman became the city's leading socialist advocate, arguing that the Socialist Party of Los Angeles should join pro-labor activists to organize unions. This caused a major split in the Socialist Party with many members arguing that the Socialist Party should stand on its own and not align itself with any organization.
Harriman joined famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow in 1911 to defend John and James McNamara, who were accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times building on October 1, 1910, that left 21 people dead. The bombing was in retaliation for the Times' anti-labor editorial policies. The defense of the McNamara brothers was a major cause for socialist and pro-labor activists who believed the brothers were being framed for the terrorist attack.
Meanwhile, Harriman was running for election as Los Angeles mayor and considered a favorite to win the seat. But Darrow arranged for the McNamaras to plead guilty to the charges, which blindsided Harriman. The guilty pleas were a major blow to the socialist and labor movement, and led to the defeat of Harriman's bid to become mayor of Los Angeles.
Harriman ran again for mayor in 1913, but lost. By early 1914, he attracted about 1,000 people to the Llano del Rio cooperative, but the community failed due to difficult land conditions and lack of water to grow crops. The cooperative moved to Louisiana in 1918, but it eventually died.
Throughout his career and until his death in 1925, Harriman wrote for numerous leftist publications, including The Western Comrade, The New Justice and the pro-labor Los Angeles Citizen.
He made one movie appearance as an actor by appearing in "From Dusk to Dawn" (1913), a pro-labor film directed and written by Frank E. Wolfe that promoted socialist themes.
Born on January 15, 1861, in Clinton County, Indiana, Harriman graduated from Butler University in 1884 and became a minister. Skeptical that organized religion could achieve positive impact on the working class and disappointed with the Democratic Party, Harriman turned to socialism. He also studied law and opened his own law firm in Los Angeles.
He joined the Socialist Party of America and ran for vice-president as a Social Democrat in 1900 on Eugene V. Debs' presidential ticket. He made a previous -- and failed -- bid for governor of California in 1898 on the Socialist Labor Party ticket.
While living in Los Angeles, Harriman became the city's leading socialist advocate, arguing that the Socialist Party of Los Angeles should join pro-labor activists to organize unions. This caused a major split in the Socialist Party with many members arguing that the Socialist Party should stand on its own and not align itself with any organization.
Harriman joined famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow in 1911 to defend John and James McNamara, who were accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times building on October 1, 1910, that left 21 people dead. The bombing was in retaliation for the Times' anti-labor editorial policies. The defense of the McNamara brothers was a major cause for socialist and pro-labor activists who believed the brothers were being framed for the terrorist attack.
Meanwhile, Harriman was running for election as Los Angeles mayor and considered a favorite to win the seat. But Darrow arranged for the McNamaras to plead guilty to the charges, which blindsided Harriman. The guilty pleas were a major blow to the socialist and labor movement, and led to the defeat of Harriman's bid to become mayor of Los Angeles.
Harriman ran again for mayor in 1913, but lost. By early 1914, he attracted about 1,000 people to the Llano del Rio cooperative, but the community failed due to difficult land conditions and lack of water to grow crops. The cooperative moved to Louisiana in 1918, but it eventually died.
Throughout his career and until his death in 1925, Harriman wrote for numerous leftist publications, including The Western Comrade, The New Justice and the pro-labor Los Angeles Citizen.
He made one movie appearance as an actor by appearing in "From Dusk to Dawn" (1913), a pro-labor film directed and written by Frank E. Wolfe that promoted socialist themes.