The Socialist Labor Party of America runs…

The Socialist Labor Party of America runs its first presidential ticket in 1892.

Originally known as the Workingmen's Party of the United States, the party changed its name in 1877 to Socialistic Labor Party and again sometime in the late 1880s to Socialist Labor Party.

In 1890, the SLP came under the influence of Daniel De Leon, who has used his role as editor of The Weekly People, the SLP's English-language official organ, to expand the party's popularity beyond its then largely German-speaking membership.

The Socialist Labor Party advocated a two-pronged attack against capitalism, including both economic and political components—trade unions and electoral campaigns.

The SLP ran candidates under its own name for the first time in the New York elections of 1886, in which it put forward a full ticket headed by J. Edward Hall as its gubernatorial nominee and Alexander Jonas as its candidate for Mayor of New York.

Fewer than 3,000 votes were cast for this ticket throughout the entire state of New York, a result so disheartening that the German language party paper the New Yorker Volkszeitung and some prominent party leaders advocated abandonment of electoral campaigns for the time being.

The National Convention of 1889 upheld the policy of political action and the SLP was again active in the New York elections of 1890.

In 1891, the party's electoral effort was led by the candidacy of Daniel De Leon for Governor of New York.

De Leon polled a respectable 14,651 votes in the losing effort.


The party nominates its first candidate for President of the United States in 1892, a decision made in September of this year at a national conference of the organization held at party headquarters in New York City, despite the fact that the SLP's platform calls for the abolition of the offices of President and Vice President.

A pro-forma nominating convention had been held in New York City in August, attended by just eight delegates, at which candidates were named and a platform approved.

The party's ticket, featuring Boston camera manufacturer Simon Wing and New York electrician Charles H. Matchett, appears on the ballot in just six states and draws a total of 21,512 votes.