Petersen, Arnold

PETERSEN, ARNOLD (1885–1976). Born in Odense, Denmark, Arnold Petersen was the dominant figure of the (American) Socialist Labor Party after Daniel De Leon. After graduating from college, he immigrated to the United States. He joined the party in 1908 and served as its national secretary from February 1914 until his resignation in May 1969.

Petersen was completely devoted to De Leon’s program and wrote numerous pamphlets about De Leon and De Leonism, that is, political insularity and patient socialist education. Trained as an accountant, he assumed his post with the party in a state of near-bankruptcy and was largely responsible for its relative stability for many years. He opposed unity with the Socialist Party, and during his tenure the Socialist Labor Party refused to work with other groups, characterizing them as reformist. He was also opposed to violence, contending that revolutionary change could occur peaceably in the United States through electoral victory and support from a revolutionary union.

Critics contended that he acted undemocratically and was hostile toward new tactics. Under his administration, there were numerous splits and expulsions. Yet the party’s membership shrank mainly from attrition by aging.

Girard, Frank, and Ben Perry. The Socialist Labor Party, 1876–1991: A Short History. Philadelphia: Livra Books, 1991.

Arnold Petersen, “The Soil and Roots of the Socialist Labor Party” (1940),

“A Political Rebel Looks Back to ‘08.” New York Times, 8 March 1964.

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