Rocket PoweR, InteRstellaR tRavel and eteRnal lIfe

Chapter Five
POLITICS
For a man who spent most of his life self-employed and
for a while was even a corporate president, Daniel
Hungerford surprises in his candidacies for public
office. It appears his family for many years, including
his mother and brothers, were socialists. Perhaps
Hungerford’s experience as a machinist employed by
others, albeit for a brief time, was a factor in his thinking.
Perhaps important were his associations with
skilled workmen employed by the large factories in the
Elmira area (Willys-Morrow, Eclipse Machine Company
and American Sales Book are examples) were influential.
Still one wonders why a figure, as inventive as he
was and as independent of many societal influences
and norms, identified himself as a socialist.
Hungerford, his brothers and his mother were
involved with Socialist Party events. In 1913, for example,
the local organization “gave a delightful dancing
reception last Monday” (December 29) including
“charming music.” Among the committee of arrangements
were Daniel Hungerford and his mother. “The
members of Elmira local intend to hold other dancing
parties during the winter.” 141
Daniel and Floyd Hungerford often were candidates
for office; Marvin said their earliest elections date from
1908. In 1913, Floyd may have been a candidate, perhaps
for alderman or supervisor, while “David D.
Hungerford”[sic.] ran as Socialist candidate for district
attorney; 142 Daniel Hungerford gathered 158 votes,
but the Republican (“Fusion”) winner had 7,707
votes. 143 In 1915, Daniel Hungerford was the Socialist
candidate for the third ward alderman; $1 was collected
from Hungerford by the Socialist Party’s county
committee. 144
In 1924 and 1926 Daniel Hungerford was the Socialist
Party candidate for the 37th congressional district seat.
In both instances, the Republican Party incumbent, Gale
H. Stalker, won handily over his Democratic Party
opponent with Hungerford running a distant third in
the voting (1924: Stalker, 59,498; Charles L. Durham,
27,763; Hungerford, 1,720. 1926: Stalker, 46,757; Edwin
S. Underhill, 32,618; Hungerford, 933). In 1930,
Hungerford was the Socialist party candidate for the
Assembly polling 364 votes against 13,574 for
Republican G. Archie Turner and 10,384 for Democrat
John B. McCann. 145 Still such overwhelming defeats
didn’t seem to discourage Hungerford. Marvin noted
that Hungerford acknowledged he could not be elected
as a Socialist in the Southern Tier. “Dan knew this but,
as he explained to me, he had a lot of fun running!” 146
Hungerford himself wrote,
Im [sic] a Gene Debs – socialists—, first last and all
the time—. During the past fifty plus years Iv’e [sic]
probly [sic] been a candidate for public office more
times than Norman Thomas and William Jennings
Bryan – put together—, and never for the sake of
the office. . . .I never was or wanted to be elected to
office—. It gave me prestage [sic] to throw monkey
[sic] wrenches in to the politicians [sic] camps—. 147
On November 3, 1932, the Elmira Advertiser reported
that Daniel Hungerford and his brother Floyd were
going to drive their rocket car to Syracuse that day to
“aid in the campaign for Norman Thomas, Socialist candidate
for president and at the same time inaugurate a
drive to raise $1,000,000 for the promotion of rocketry in
this country.” Upon his return to Elmira, Hungerford
planned to “canvas [sic] the county in the interest of his
candidacy for sheriff.” 148
As chairman of the Chemung County Socialist Party,
Daniel Hungerford and William C. Perry, a “local party
organizer”, issued a statement after the election.
The Democratic party has virtually been placed in
the position of ushering in the great Cooperative
Commonwealth (of Socialism) and that it must be.
. . . Thanks is hereby extended to the many friends
and Comrades who assisted in getting out the
Socialist vote. . . . The people are now giving the
Democrats a shot at straightening things out….
Unless the Democrats now produce results, the
electorate will rise up again and dethrone the party
just as easily and effectively as it put the party in
power Tuesday. . . . The national vote polled
Tuesday by the Socialist party serves as a reminder
to the Democrats that they must produce. . . . The
Socialist party headquarters at 316 East Water
Daniel and Floyd Hungerford: Rocket Power, Interstellar Travel and Eternal Life, by Geofrey N. Stein. New York State Museum Record 4, © 2013 by The
University of the State of New York, The State Education Department, Albany, New York. All rights reserved.
33