Henry Martinson

Interviewed by Robert Carlson, October 7, 1974 Henry Martinson was secretary of the Socialist Party in North Dakota, publisher of the Iconoclast, and was an organizer for the Nonpartisan League. He served as Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor from 1937 to 1965. Martinson homesteaded in northwestern North Dakota in 1906. There were many Norwegian immigrants in the Williams and Divide County area, and they were used to socialism. Appeal to Reason was reported to be a popular socialist newspaper. Around 1915, the socialist party in North Dakota began to divide into two factions: some were opportunistic, and some were Marxist. He was in the Scandinavian branch which was closer to pure Marxist. They wanted to educate people until they could understand real socialism. The opportunists wanted to be politically active, and they wanted power. Equal suffrage and elimination of child labor were immediate demands of both factions. Some of the people Martinson commented on included A.C. Townley, William Lemke, William Langer, Alfred Knutson, and L.L. Griffith. Most of the interview focuses on events between 1910 and 1940. Interview: Audio Cassette Tape 801, 803, and 805 Transcript: None