George Aloysius Meyers

Released

Date of birth:03. 11. 1912

Date of death:1999

Age:86^{† Deceased}

Gender:Male

Race:White

Era:1950s

State:Maryland

Time Imprisoned:

3 Years 4 Months 21 Days

Support

Communism Labor Organizing Civil Liberties Communist Party USA

Biography

George Aloysius Meyers was a textile-union organizer and Communist Party leader imprisoned under the Smith Act. Born in 1912 in Lonaconing, Maryland, he helped organize thousands of workers at the Celanese textile plant near Cumberland and became president of the local textile union; in 1941 he was elected president of the Maryland–District of Columbia CIO council. He later served as chairman of the Communist Party in Maryland and as a national CPUSA labor official. On August 7, 1951 the FBI arrested him as one of six Maryland and Washington Communist Party officials charged under the Smith Act, which made it a crime to advocate the overthrow of the government and was used against Communist Party members throughout the McCarthy years. Released on pretrial bond, he was convicted with the other five by a Baltimore federal jury on April 1, 1952. The following day Judge W. Calvin Chesnut held him in contempt for refusing to identify other members of the party leadership, and on April 4 sentenced him to four years and a $1,000 fine on the Smith Act count plus a separate thirty days for the contempt. He served the contempt term immediately, at the federal institution at Petersburg, Virginia, while the longer sentence was stayed pending appeal. The Fourth Circuit affirmed on July 31, 1952 and denied rehearing on September 8; after the Supreme Court declined to review the case he surrendered to the United States marshal on January 27, 1953 and returned to Petersburg, where he remained until his release on May 19, 1956 — three years, three months and twenty-two days, and about three years and four and a half months counting the contempt. He died in 1999.

Cases

Federal Reformatory, Petersburg

Charges: [smith-act-1952] Conspiracy to violate the Smith Act — advocating the overthrow of the government.

Arrested: Aug 7, 1951

Sentenced: Apr 4, 1952

Incarcerated: Jan 27, 1953

Released: May 19, 1956

Sentence: Four years and a $1,000 fine, imposed April 4, 1952 after conviction by a Baltimore federal jury on April 1. He was released on pretrial bond after the August 7, 1951 arrest and remained at liberty on the Smith Act count while the case was appealed, which is why no custody is recorded from the arrest. The Fourth Circuit affirmed on July 31, 1952 and denied rehearing on September 8; the Supreme Court then denied certiorari and denied a petition for rehearing. He surrendered to the United States marshal on January 27, 1953 and was returned to the federal institution at Petersburg, Virginia, where he served until May 19, 1956 — 1,208 days, three years three months and twenty-two days of the four years. The fine is not custody and adds nothing to the imprisonment total. Verdict as recorded: Yes — convicted April 1, 1952 by a federal jury in Baltimore. Affirmed by the Fourth Circuit on July 31, 1952, rehearing denied September 8; the Supreme Court denied certiorari and then denied rehearing. Charges as recorded: [smith-act-1952] Conspiracy to violate the Smith Act — advocating the overthrow of the government. One of six Maryland and Washington Communist Party officials arrested by the FBI on August 7, 1951 and tried together in federal court in Baltimore.

Judge: Judge W. Calvin Chesnut

Convicted: Yes

Institution State: Virginia

Federal Reformatory, Petersburg

Charges: [contempt-1952] Criminal contempt of court.

Incarcerated: Apr 4, 1952

Released: May 4, 1952

Sentence: Thirty days, imposed April 4, 1952 as a term separate from and consecutive to the four-year Smith Act sentence. He began serving it at once, at the federal institution at Petersburg, Virginia, while the Smith Act sentence was stayed pending appeal; contemporary reporting confirms he was serving the contempt term by April 10. THE RELEASE DATE IS COMPUTED, NOT DOCUMENTED: the sources give the length as thirty days rather than a discharge date, so about May 4, 1952 is the arithmetic end of a term beginning April 4 and should be treated as approximate. Verdict as recorded: Yes — held in contempt April 2, 1952 by Judge W. Calvin Chesnut. Charges as recorded: [contempt-1952] Criminal contempt of court — refusing to identify other members of the Communist Party leadership for Maryland and the District of Columbia. Judge W. Calvin Chesnut held him in contempt on April 2, 1952, the day after the Smith Act verdict.