- Hall, Gus
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▪ 2001Arvo Kusta HalbergAmerican political organizer (b. Oct. 8, 1910, Iron, Minn.—d. Oct. 13, 2000, New York, N.Y.), was for over 40 years the leader of the Communist Party of the United States of America. Although his activities led to his imprisonment for much of the 1950s, he later—in the four elections from 1972 to 1984—was his party's candidate for the U.S. presidency. Hall was the son of members of the militant Industrial Workers of the World, and he had their radical ideas reinforced by the harsh life he experienced while working in a logging camp, the first job he held after leaving school following eighth grade. His father had joined the Communist Party at its inception in 1919 and in 1927 recruited Hall. Hall studied at the V.I. Lenin Institute (renamed the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute) in Moscow from 1931 to 1933. After returning to the U.S., he engaged in union organizing activities, occasionally getting arrested for his zealous efforts, and in 1937 he became a full-time party officer. Following World War II navy service, Hall joined the party's national executive board. In 1949 he and 10 other party leaders were convicted of conspiring to overthrow the government by force and were sentenced to five years' imprisonment. Free on bail during an appeal, Hall and three others fled to Mexico when the appeal was rejected in 1951. Their freedom lasted only three months, however, and Hall's sentence was extended; he was incarcerated in the Leavenworth, Kan., federal penitentiary until 1957. Upon his release, Hall—having gained hero status—began a quest for the party's leadership position, to which he was elected in 1959. He began making annual trips to Moscow, which he continued until the end of Soviet communism, and was awarded the U.S.S.R.'s highest medal, the Order of Lenin. Although the party's adherence to its faith in Soviet-style communism kept it apart from the new left and its membership dwindled steadily, Hall never wavered from his political beliefs and continued to consider the downfall of capitalism inevitable.
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▪ American politicianoriginal name Arvo Kusta Halberborn October 8, 1910, Iron, Minnesota, U.S.died October 13, 2000, New York, New York, U.S.American political organizer who was general secretary of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA; 1959–2000) and a four-time candidate for U.S. president (1972, 1976, 1980, 1984).Hall's parents were members of the militant Industrial Workers of the World, and in 1927 he was recruited by his father to join the CPUSA. From 1931 to 1933 he studied at the V.I. Lenin Institute (renamed the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute) in Moscow, and after returning to the United States, he engaged in union-organizing activities, occasionally getting arrested. He became a full-time party officer in 1937. Following service in the navy during World War II, Hall joined the CPUSA's national executive board. In 1949 he was one of 11 party leaders convicted of conspiring to overthrow the U.S. government by force and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. Free on bail during an appeal, Hall and three others fled to Mexico when the appeal was rejected in 1951. They were recaptured, however, and Hall's sentence was extended; he was incarcerated until 1957.Elected to the CPUSA's leadership position in 1959, Hall ran for U.S. president as the party's candidate in four elections and earned his best result in 1976, when he received nearly 60,000 votes. He made annual trips to Moscow until the fall of the communist regime and was awarded the U.S.S.R.'s highest civilian medal, the Order of Lenin. Although the CPUSA's adherence to its faith in Soviet-style communism kept it apart from the new left and its membership dwindled steadily, Hall remained general secretary of the party until his death.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
