Alfred Leo Marder

Alfred Marder was a communist, peace activist, anti-racist, and community organizer based in New Haven, Connecticut who held the distinction of being the last living survivor of those federally prosecuted during McCarthyism.

Amongst his many roles, he served as president of the United States Peace Council, chairman of the Connecticut Young Communist League, chairman of the Connecticut Freedom Trail Planning Committee, president of the Amistad Committee, president of the New Haven Peace Commission, and president of the United Nations' International Association of Peace Messenger Cities.

Marder was one of the organizers of the campaign for the first evening college in Connecticut (established at what is now Southern Connecticut State University) and helped organize an unsuccessful campaign to allow African-Americans to work as bus drivers. He was the organizer of the Unity Players, Connecticut's first integrated amateur drama club, and he organized a scholarship campaign to fund tuition for African-American students at the University of Connecticut.

A decorated war veteran, Marder volunteered to fight in World War II after attending the University of Connecticut, where he had been president of the campus chapter of American Youth for Democracy. He was initially denied enlistment due to his political beliefs and eyesight but was later drafted. He received a Bronze Star for his service in France and Germany, where one of his roles was to serve as a French and German interpreter and interrogator.

In May 1954, Marder was arrested by the FBI under the Smith Act on the grounds that his communist beliefs meant he might be a spy; no evidence of him spying was presented. He was acquitted, and in 1957 the Smith Act was overturned as unconstitutional.

A graduate of Hillhouse High School, Marder spent nearly his entire life in the Elm City. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants who owned a grocery store and had frequent financial problems, especially during the Great Depression. The store was lost to foreclosure and the family lost their home, moving several times but always living in integrated neighborhoods of diverse ethnicities. These formative experiences contributed to his world views.

Amongst the honors received by Marder were Mexico's Legion of Honor and Sierra Leone's Order of Rokal. In the latter case, Marder became the first person not from Sierra Leone to receive that country's highest honor.

Sources

• "A man known as Connecticut's 'oldest living communist' has died. He was 101." The Hartford Courant, published 20 December 2023. < link > Accessed 20 December 2023.
• "Al Marder, The Oldest Living Communist Victim of the Red Scare." The New England Historical Society, published 2022. < link > Accessed 22 December 2023.
• "Alfred Marder." Greater New Haven Labor History Association. < link > Accessed 21 December 2023.
• "Alfred Marder Obituary." The New Haven Register via Legacy.com, published 21 December 2023. < link > Accessed 21 December 2023.
• Bass, Paul. "Al Marder, True Believer To The End, Dies At 101." The New Haven Independent, published 19 December 2023. < link > Accessed 20 December 2023.
• Donohue, Mary M. "Al Marder: A Life of Conviction." Connecticut Explored, published spring 2016. < link > Accessed 22 December 2023.
• "Mexico, Sierra Leone honor Al Marder." The Connecticut Post, published 4 March 2004. < link > Accessed 21 December 2023.
• Stannard, Ed. "98-year-old New Haven activist still fighting for peace and justice." The Hartford Courant, published 20 January 2020. < link > Accessed 22 December 2023.

Alfred L Marder
1950 United States Federal Census
Birth: Circa 1922 - Connecticut, United States
Residence: Apr 1 1950 - 1599 Ellsworth Ave Anita St Boulevard St, New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Parents: Abraham Marder, Esther Marder