Virginia Gardner (1904-1992) was a journalist, a communist, and biographer of Louise Bryant. She was raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas graduated with a B.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1924, then worked at several Midwestern newspapers before joining the Chicago Tribune in 1930. Gardner gradually became a radical, joined the Communist Party c.1937, led the small Newspaper Guild group at the Tribune, and was fired for her union activism in March, 1940.
Blacklisted in Chicago, she moved to New York where she worked with the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee. After her divorce from journalist Marion (Red) Marberry, Gardner moved to Washington, DC in 1942, and was briefly Executive Secretary of the American Council on Soviet Relations. Between 1940 and 1942 Virginia Gardner was active as a member of the Citizens Committee for Harry Bridges, serving as its Executive Secretary in 1941. From 1942-1943 she worked for the Federated Press (a labor news service), resigning over its unwillingness to criticize John L. Lewis. Gardner next worked for the New Masses, resigning in 1947 when it became a monthly.
She moved to Los Angeles, working for the Peoples World (the CPUSA West Coast newspaper) until her dismissal in 1951, and was then briefly employed at a meat packing plant. In 1952 Gardner moved to New York where, again, her first job was at a meat plant in Jamaica, Queens, before being employed by the Daily Worker where she covered the Rosenberg case in 1953, and later wrote The Rosenberg Story, which was published in 1954. In 1959 Virginia Gardner left the Worker, and between 1960 and 1962 worked as a medical writer. From 1963 to 1971 she worked as editorial assistant to Corliss Lamont. Her Louise Bryant biography was published in 1982. Soon afterwards she began working on her own autobiography. Gardner died in San Diego on January 5th, 1992.
Chronology
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June 27, 1904:Born in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Has two older sisters, Gertrude Miller and Catherine Carson.
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1910:Mother dies when she was 10 years old.
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1921 to 1924:Attended University of Missouri, graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism.
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Dec. 17, 1927:Married Jerome Butler, a socialist newspaperman and copy reader
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1927:Employed at the St. Louis Times.
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May 1927:Father dies.
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1929:Hired by Chicago Tribune.
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July, 1937:Married Marion (Red) Marberry whom she described as a leftist who never joined the Party. He was also a newspaperman and wrote three books:Joaquin Miller American Poet (1953); Vicky: A Biography of Victoria Woodhull (1967); The Golden Voice: A Biography of Isaac Kelloch (1947).
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September, 1937:"Decided to join the Communist Party."
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April, 1938:Joined the Newspaper Guild in Chicago.
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1938:Active in Hearst strike in California.
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1939:Joined the Communist Party.
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1939:Filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board regarding unfair treatment at Chicago Tribune.
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1939:Assisted in publishing the Tribunit, a publication of the Chicago Tribune workers.
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March 22, 1940:Dismissed from Chicago Tribune, because of involvement in Guild activities at the paper.
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1940:Moved to New York where she worked with the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee.
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1941:Voted as lifetime member of the Newspaper Guild.
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1941:Acted as Executive Secretary of the Citizens Committee for Harry Bridges (President of the ILWU),in New York City in an attempt to prevent his deportation from the United States.
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1942:Moved to Washington D.C.; Divorced Marion (Red) Marberry (January); Begins work at Federated Press, a labor news service; serves as Executive Secretary to the American Council on Soviet Relations, a precursor to the National Council of American Soviet Friendship (NCASF).
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1943:Resigned from Federated Press. Began working as Washington correspondent for New Masses.
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1947:Resigned from New Masses, and moved to Los Angeles; where she began working for The Peoples World
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1948:Subpoenaed to appear before the Tenney Committee (California's Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities).
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1949:Wrote a few articles for Masses and Mainstream.
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1951:Dismissed from The Peoples World.
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1952:Moved back to New York; employed in Jamaica, Queens in a meat packing plant.
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1954:The Rosenberg Story, published by Masses and Mainstream.
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1955:Began work at the Daily Worker.
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December 1959:Resigned from the Worker.
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Feb.-June 1960:Worked on staff of Factor, a monthly magazine which covers issues related to psychiatry.
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1960 to 1962:Freelanced as a medical writer.
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1962:Left the Communist Party.
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1963 to 1971:Employed as editorial assistant to Corliss Lamont.
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1982:Published
Friend and Lover, a biography of Louise Bryant (New York:
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1984 to 1989:Worked on her unpublished autobiography.
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1989:Grandson, John Dorney dies; in failing health.
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1992:Dies in San Diego, January 5th.
From the guide to the Virginia Gardner Papers, 1922-1990, (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive)
