Bert, Erik
Dates
- Existence: 1904-1981
Biography
Herbert Joseph Putz (Erik Bert) was born on November 25, 1904, in the Bronx, the son of Jakob Putz, a machinist, and Anna Marie Uzelmeier. The young Herbert went to public school in the Yorkville section and attended German socialist Sunday school. Later he attended Stuyvesant High School, Columbia University, and the University of Berlin.
In 1929 or 1930 Herbert Putz became active in the Communist Party and adopted the name Erik Bert. In November 1931 he became editor of The Producers News: National Edition, the official weekly organ of the United Farmers League. From 1934 until 1936 he edited the Farmers National Weekly, the official paper of the Farmers National Committee for Action. In 1941 he joined the staff of the Daily World, a position he occupied for the rest of his life. He died on June 11, 1981, in Brooklyn, New York.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Erik Bert Papers
Born Herbert Joseph Putz. Communist journalist and editor in the 1930s of The Producers News and Farmers National Weekly; his career after 1941 was with the Daily World. Subject files, correspondence, notebooks, typescripts, and published writings regarding the link between communism and agriculture.