Charles H. Vail

Charles Henry Vail (April 28, 1866 – June 16, 1924) was an American Universalist clergyman and Christian socialist political activist and writer. Vail is best remembered as the first National Organizer of the Socialist Party of America and as a candidate of that party for Governor of New Jersey.

Biography

Early years Charles Henry Vail was born in Tully, New York on April 28, 1866. He attended public school in Tully and learned the trade of barrelmaker upon completion, working with his father for several years in that field. Vail also showed considerable aptitude in the field of music and so he went to New York City to study under Dr. H.R. Palmer, a course which he completed in 1885.

At the end of 1900, Vail resigned his pastorate and accepted a job as the National Organizer of the Social Democratic Party of America, forerunner of the Socialist Party of America. with the position filled by his wife Nina, amidst much publicity and comment on the novelty of a husband and wife team occupying a single pulpit.

After resting for the month of September, Vail hit the campaign trail. In the immediate aftermath of the August assassination of President William McKinley by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, Vail faced hostile crowds and suffered cancelled meetings by those who confused the doctrines of socialism and anarchism. He would later accept a position at the Church of Good Tidings in Brooklyn.

Vail continued to preach until his final years, serving as half-time pastor of a congregation in the small town of Merom, Indiana during the early 1920s.

Death and legacy Charles H. Vail died at his home in Auburn, New York on June 16, 1924.

Works National Ownership of Railways. New York: Humboldt Library, 1897. Modern Socialism. New York: Commonwealth Co., 1897. Principles of Scientific Socialism. New York: Commonwealth Co., 1899; Reissued by Kerr, 1908. The Industrial Evolution. New York: Commonwealth Co., 1899. Mission of the Working Class. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1899. The Trust Question: Its Political and Economic Aspects. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1900. "The Mission of the Workingman," The Challenge [Los Angeles], whole no. 32 (July 31, 1901), pp. 1–3. The Socialist Movement. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1902. Socialism and the Negro Problem. New York: Comrade Publishing Co., 1902. The Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry. New York: Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., 1909. The World's Saviors: Analogies in their Lives Examined and Interpreted: A Study in Comparative Religions. London: Fowler, 1913. Militant and Triumphant Socialism. Chicago: Co-operative Printing Co., 1913.

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