David Lasser

David Lasser (March 20, 1902 – May 5, 1996) was an American writer and political activist. Lasser is remembered as an influential figure of early science fiction writing, working closely with Hugo Gernsback. He was also heavily involved in the workers’ rights struggles of the Great Depression.

Early years Lasser was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jewish immigrant parents from Russia. His family moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he grew up. He left high school at 16 to enlist in the Army in World War I, lying about his age. After being gassed on the front lines in France, he was honourably discharged as a Sergeant in 1919. Despite never graduating from high school, he was admitted to M.I.T., graduating with a B.S. in Engineering Administration. In a spirit of unity, the Communists deferred to the Socialists and Lasser was elected president of the Workers Alliance. Herbert Benjamin, head of the Communist Unemployed Councils, became Vice President of the Alliance.

In 1939 Lasser resigned from the Workers Alliance, claiming that it was Communist-dominated. Even so, the U.S. Congress passed legislation specifically banning Lasser by name from employment by the federal government. He then served as economics and research director of the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers until his retirement in 1969.

Lasser's leadership of the Workers Alliance brought him under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a possible subversive. His name was not officially cleared until 1980 when he was sent a personal letter of apology by President Jimmy Carter.

Lasser died in 1996 at the Remington Senior Care Facility in Rancho Bernardo, California. He was 94 years old and was survived by his third wife and a son. There is an extensive interview with Lasser, covering his careers in both science fiction and the labor movement, in Eric Leif Davin's "Pioneers of Wonder".

Memorial The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) currently awards the Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award to the best original non-fiction work dealing with aeronautics or aeronautical history. The award is named to honor David Lasser and Lester Gardner.

Published works D.-C armature and field-coil repair Scranton, Pa., International Textbook Co., 1929 (with Clifford Carr) Alternating-current motor repair Scranton, Pa., International Textbook Co., 1929 (with Clifford Carr) The Conquest of Space New York, Penguin Press, 1931 A-C motor rewinding and reconnecting Scranton, Pa., International Textbook Co., 1936 (with Clifford Carr and Adolphus Dudley) Work and security: a program for America. [Washington] : [Workers Alliance of America], 1938 Old-age security $60 at 60 Washington, D.C. : Workers Alliance of America, 1939 Private monopoly; the enemy at home New York, Harper 1945 Labor and world affairs New York : Foreign Policy Association, 1949 Foreign policy reports; v. 25, no. 13. Nov. 15, 1949;

Articles

"With vehicle perfected, science hopes to plumb mystery of outer space." New York Herald Tribune. 13 July. 1930 "By Rocket to the Planets." Nature Magazine. Nov. 1931 "The Time Projector" Part 1 Wonder Stories Volume 3, No 2 July 1931 "The Time Projector" Part 2 Wonder Stories Volume 3, No 3 August 1931