Born: Born 1882, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Blacksmith Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
A former Russian army conscript, Brodya migrated to the United States in 1913 as an already-committed anarcho‑syndicalist. Settling in Pittsburgh, he joined the Union of Russian Workers and served as secretary of his local branch. He collaborated with fellow activist Frank Belesta in calls for a general strike to force the lifting of the U.S. blockade of Soviet Russia. Immigration authorities considered him “one of the most dangerous Russians in the Pittsburgh district,” and his deportation warrant initially misidentified him as an Italian citizen. He was deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54616/89; New-York Tribune, October 4, 1919.
Abe Brook (or Bruk; Brooks)
Abe Brook, 1919. National Archives.
Born: Born 1893, Odessa, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Jewish Occupation: Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Brooklyn branch of the Union of Russian Workers, though he denied membership under interrogation. Around 1918 he married fellow anarchist Clara Kessler. He was arrested in October 1919 while helping organize a protest against the U.S. blockade of Russia, and again during the first Palmer Raids the following month. Deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919, his wife publicly protested the deportations and petitioned to be deported herself, but was denied on account of her US birth.
Sources: INS file 54709/273.
Ivan Nicholaevich Brunert (a.k.a. John Brunert or Brunett)
Born: Born 1869, Volhynia, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Bookkeeper; tailor Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and two sons remained in Kiev when he emigrated to the U.S. By 1918 he had joined Baltimore’s Branch No. 1 of the Union of Russian Workers and served as its financial secretary. Previously affiliated with an IWW branch of Polish tailors and later with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919, he was deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/109
Ivan Bubenko (a.k.a. John)
Born: Born 1884, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 (via Canada) Affiliation: Communist Party of America
His wife and child remained in Russia when he emigrated to avoid military service. Joined the Socialist Party of America in 1918 and soon transferred to Detroit’s Russian Branch No. 3 of the Communist Party of America. Accepted “voluntary departure” on October 16, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54860/22; FBI file BS 202600-712-1.
Anton Budkovsky (or Budkowsky; a.k.a. Antoni Buoty or Buotv)
Born: Born 1884, Pružany, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 (via Canada) Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Entered the U.S. from Canada without inspection. Joined the Union of Russian Workers in Detroit in 1917. Arrested in July 1918 after a confrontation between authorities and local Russian radicals, he stated, “I am a sympathizer of the anarchists, but I am not an anarchist…I believe in their teachings.” He “voluntarily departed” on January 22, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54554/23.
Fedor Buhay (a.k.a. Frank Bohai)
Born: Born 1893, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Machinist Migration: Immigrated to US c. 1910 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Born in Russia but raised in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, Buhay was a Belarusian (“Ruthenian”) who joined the Communist Party of America in Buffalo and was deported to Austria on April 14, 1920.
Born: Born 1902, Volyn, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1909 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Nephew of URW activist Peter Bianki. In 1909 he and his sister joined their mother, Alexandra Nikiforovna Bukhanova, in the US. He graduated from high school in Manhattan in 1918 and became secretary of the Greenpoint, Brooklyn branch of the Union of Russian Workers. He was arrested during the Palmer Raids in November 1919 and became the youngest passenger deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
After returning to Russia he was employed by the Russian-American Tool Plant (Russko-Amerikanskiy instrumental’nyy zavod). In July 1921 he signed (possibly under duress) a statement issued by the Union of Russian Anarchist Workers Repatriated from America that advocated critical support for the Soviet regime. Arrested in 1923 during a crackdown on anarchists. Married 1930s and in 1937 graduated from the Leningrad Industrial Institute with a degree in metallurgy. Assigned to a factory in Voronezh, where his mother, wife, and children joined him. Arrested in July 1938 during the Great Purge and sentenced to five years in the Tomasinlag forced labor camp, where he died November 1942.
Alexander Bukovetsky (or Bukhovetsky; a.k.a. Felix or Feliks Konosevich)
Bukhovetsky with family, c. 1919. National Archives.Bukhovetsky in Windsor, c. 1940s. Delo Truda-Probuzhdenie, January–April 1954.
Born: Born 1886, Ekaterinoslav, Russia (present-day Dnipro, Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Metalworker Migration: Immigrated to Canada 1908; then to US 1919 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Socialist-Revolutionary Party as a youth and participated in the 1905 Russian Revolution. Migrated with his wife Frances and their daughter to Canada, where a son was born. Became an anarchist in Ontario; moved between the United States and Canada repeatedly for work. Arrested in March 1918 after giving radical speech in Timmins, Ontario, but the charges were dropped. Migrated to the US with family the following year, and employed as a machinist at the Ford Motor Company. Active in the Union of Russian Workers in Detroit and organized URW branches in Jackson and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Arrested in Detroit in January 1920 and detained at Fort Wayne, where on one occasion guards beat him bloody in front of his visiting wife and children. During his detainment, Frances was diagnosed with tuberculosis and the family was “dependent upon the charity of friends for support.” At their request, the entire family was deported February 26, 1921 (Frances being deported as an immigrant who entered the US illegally and was “likely to become a public charge”).
After arrival in Soviet Russia he immediately spoke out against the Communist dictatorship and was arrested as a Makhnovist supporter. Frances obtained his release with the assistance of anarchists including Emma Goldman, and the family emigrated to Germany and then Windsor, Canada, where they remained active in the Russian-speaking anarchist movement. Frances died in 1935; Alexander (under the name “Felix Konosevich”) died in 1954.
Sources: INS file 54709/467; Suzanne Elizabeth Orr, “Deporting the Red Menace: Russian Immigrants, Progressive Reformers, and the First Red Scare in Chicago, 1917–1920″ (PhD diss., University of Notre Dame, 2010); National Popular Government League, To the American People: Report Upon the Illegal Practices of the United States Department of Justice; Emma Goldman, Living My Life; http://monde-nouveau.net/IMG/pdf/Repression_de_l_anarchisme_en_Russie_mis_en_page.pdf; Delo Truda-Probuzhdenie, January–April 1954 (with thanks to Malcolm Archibald).
Mikhail Bushanowits
Born: Born 1887, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers; IWW
Served in the Russian military before migrating to the United States, where he became active distributing radical literature. He joined the Union of Russian Workers, distributed Russian-language IWW literature, and served as secretary of the Progressive Union of Russian Peasants in Hartford, Connecticut. He was arrested there in December 1919 and deported to Soviet Russia on January 22, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54709/152.
Ivan J. Busija (a.k.a. John J. Busija)
Busija’s Communist Party membership card
Born: Born 1888, Austria-Hungary (likely in present-day Croatia) Nationality: Austrian Ethnicity: Croatian Occupation: Machinist Migration: Immigrated to US 1908 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
An Italian speaker and machinist at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh. Joined East Pittsburgh’s South Slavic Branch No. 5 of the Communist Party of America in October 1919. Arrested December 27, 1919; deported to Yugoslavia via Greece on June 19, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54908/279; FBI file OG 387246.
Paul Bussert
Born: Born 1885, Germany Nationality: German Ethnicity: Occupation: Sailor; laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1906 Affiliation: IWW
Joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1916 and was arrested in Walla Walla, Washington, where authorities discovered a large quantity of IWW literature in his room. Considered “above the average in intelligence,” he was interned as an enemy alien at Fort Douglas, Utah, and “voluntarily departed” to Germany in September 1919.
Sources: INS file 54379/52.
William Butrimuk (a.k.a. Basil Warseleideuk; William Novick)
Born: Born 1894, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Autoworker Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Worked in the auto industry in Detroit and became a member of the Communist Party of America. Arrested during the second Palmer Raids in January 1920 and subsequently “voluntarily departed” to Russia via Canada on October 16, 1920.
Sources: FBI file BS 202600-1379-1.
Mikhail Demyanovich Butskevich (or Michael Deminavich Butzkevich)
Butskevich’s URW membership card. National Archives.
Born: Born 1893, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Bridgeport, Connecticut branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1919. He was arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported to Soviet Russia aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Born: Born 1894, Fontán, A Coruña, Spain Nationality: Spanish Ethnicity: Galician Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1911 Affiliation: IWW; anarchist
A former member of the IWW’s Marine Oilers, Firemen and Watertenders Union and an active participant in the Spanish anarchist group El Ariete in Niagara Falls, New York. In May 1919 he was arrested with two other members for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the United States government, based on a revolutionary manifesto they were distributing, but the case was dismissed by a judge. He was deported as an anarchist on August 8, 1920.
Reentered the United States on October 4, 1943 via Canada; attempted to gain US citizenship in 1949. June 1955 he returned to Spain, where he died in May 1970.
Sources: INS file 54709/16; FBI files OG 389193 and OG 8000-357909; familysearch.org; La Voz de Galicia, May 23, 1970 (with thanks to Eliseo Fernández Fernández).
Arthur Stanley Cattell (a.k.a. Arthur Kotel/Ketel)
Arthur Cattell’s Communist Party membership card. National Archives.
Born: Born 1886, London, England Nationality: British Ethnicity: English Occupation: Plumber Migration: Immigrated to US 1911 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
A former member of the Socialist Party of America who later served as a member and treasurer of the West Philadelphia branch of the Communist Party of America. He was deported from the United States on September 30, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54811/490; FBI file OG 380747.
Michele Centrone
Michele Centrone, c. 1930s. Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Italy.
Born: Born 1879, Puglia, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Carpenter Migration: Immigrated to US 1903 Affiliation: Anarchist
Joined the Socialist Party of Italy in 1897 and gravitated toward anarchism by 1900. After migrating to the United States, he collaborated on anarchist publications in San Francisco, where he belonged to the anarchist Gruppo Volontá, distributed Cronaca Sovversiva, and served as secretary of the Latin Branch of Local 95 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (AFL). Arrested in 1918, he was deported on March 27, 1920.
Following Mussolini’s rise to power, Centrone unsuccessfully attempted to reenter the United States under a false name in 1922 and was again deported. In 1924 fled Italy to France; arrested and expelled from France 1928. Then lived in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg, and illegally returned to France 1931. Remained active in antifascist exile networks, including the organization Giustizia e Libertà, and as a correspondent for US anarchist publications. In 1936 he volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War with the anarchist Ascaso Column and was killed in action on August 28, 1936.
Sources: INS file 54379/330; FBI file OG 321621; CPC busta 1243; Mario Gianfrate and Kenyon Zimmer, Michele Centrone, tra vecchio e nuovo mondo: Anarchici pugliesi in difesa della libertà spagnola.
Antonio Cesco (Chesco)
Antonio Cesco, c. 1920s. Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Italy.
Born: Born 1882, Bellano, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Miner Migration: Immigrated to US 1904 Affiliation: Anarchist
Not politically radical before emigrating but later became a Socialist Party member and then an individualist anarchist, distributing Cronaca Sovversiva while working as a coal miner in Pennsylvania and Ohio. He was a member of the United Mine Workers and was arrested in May 1918 in Yorkville, Ohio, while hospitalized with a mining injury. Deported on February 7, 1920.
arrested upon arrival in Italy but later amnestied. Subsequently emigrated to Germany and France, settling in Lyon, where he was known for his antifascist views but was not publicly politically active.
Sources: INS file 54379/401; CPC busta 1274.
Boris Cevetsky (or Sckiwitsky)
Born: Born 1885, Vilnius, Russia (present-day Lithuania) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Lithuanisn Occupation: Dishwasher Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Joined Detroit’s Russian Branch No. 3 of the Socialist Party of America in early 1919, which subsequently transferred into the Communist Party of America. He was arrested in January 1920, held at Fort Wayne, and deported to Russia on March 18, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/985.
Yakov Cewook (or Gewook/Tsiwuh)
Born: Born 1886, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1911 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and two children remained in Russia. Joined the Union of Russian Workers in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1918. He was deported to Soviet Russia aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Born: Born 1896, Samara, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Machinist Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers; IWW
A member of both the Union of Russian Workers and the IWW, and lectured for the URW. Arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut, in March 1919, he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for violating the Espionage Act. After his release he continued radical propaganda activity and was deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54616/117; FBI file OG 8000-363703; Lazar Lipotkin, The Russian Anarchist Movement in North America.
George Chernov (or Chernoff)
Born: Born 1893, Kherson, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Mechanic Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined Branch No. 2 of the Union of Russian Workers in Detroit in 1917 and worked at the Ford Motor Company. Arrested at his workplace in November 1919 and deported on January 22, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54709/285.
Ivan Chernyavsky (or John Cherniawsky)
Chernyavsky’s URW membership card (which he attempted to rip up during his arrest). National Archives.
Born: Born 1894, Vilnius, Russia (present-day Lithuania) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Lithuanian Occupation: Machinist Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
A member of the Union of Russian Workers in Jackson, Michigan, and was arrested in Detroit in October 1918, during which he attempted to destroy his URW membership card. He was deported on January 22, 1921.
He may have been the anarchist Chernyavsky later arrested in Petrograd in 1923.
Sources: INS file 54709/465; FBI file OG 375427; Senya Fleshin Papers, International Institute of Social History.
S. G. Chestyakov (a.k.a. Gregory Chestikoff; Chestiakoff; Harry Chesniuk)
Chestyiakov’s URW membership card (which he attempted to rip up during his arrest). National Archives.
Born: c. 1893, Chernihiv province, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and child remained in Russia when he emigrated. Became a member of the Union of Russian Workers in Donora, Pennsylvania. He was arrested there on September 1, 1920, reportedly after being identified either by an undercover Bureau of Investigation agent or, according to contemporary accounts, betrayed by a fellow URW member. During his arrest, Chestyakov and fellow activist John Sergeyenko were reportedly beaten severely by police, and anarchist literature was found in his possession. Tried and convicted under Pennsylvania’s Sedition Law and sentenced to one year in the Allegheny County Workhouse. Deported on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54885/30; FBI file OG 389087; Volna (New York), May 1921 (with thanks to Malcolm Archibald).
Andrey Chigraev (a.k.a. Andy Chigraeff)
Chigraev’s membership cards for the SPA and URW. National Archives.
Born: 1891, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Miner; laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Socialist Party of America; Union of Russian Workers
Belonged to the Greek Orthodox Church before emigrating to the United States in 1913; his wife remained in Russia. After joining the Ukrainian Branch of the Socialist Party of America in 1918, he became a member of the Monessen, Pennsylvania branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1919. An undercover officer reported that Chigraev actively participated in political debates focused on socialism and anarchism, and Chigraev admitted to anarchist beliefs. Arrested while on strike at the mill where he was employed and was subsequently deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/478.
Leon Chikalyuk (or Chikaliuk; a.k.a. Leo Chrikaluik)
Born: 1890, Russia (somewhere in present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Migrated to Canada 1914; then to US 1915 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and son remained in Russia when he emigrated. Joined the Monessen, Pennsylvania branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1919. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 while participating in a strike at a tool mill. Deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/516.
Stepan Chinevich (or Hinievich)
Born: 1886, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1907 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers; IWW
Involved in radical political activity in Russia prior to his migration. Moved intermittently between the United States and Canada for work. In Seattle, he joined the Union of Russian Workers in 1917 and later became a member of the IWW in 1919. Arrested multiple times for radical activity beginning in 1917 and deported on February 1, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54235/94.
Maksim Chineyko (or Maxim Chinejko)
Born: 1890, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Became a member of the Brooklyn-based Branch No. 10 of the Union of Russian Workers. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 while working at the Guggenheim Copper Company in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/117.
Lev Ilyich Chizhevsky (a.k.a. Leo Chijefsky)
Born: 1896, Minsk, Konotop, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Jewish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1917 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Brother of fellow URW member and deportee Stanislav Chizhevsky. Joined the Buffalo branch of the Union of Russian Workers, where he served as a distributor of anarchist literature. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
After returning to Russia, he continued his education and became an engineer at a paper mill. He later joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union but was arrested in April 1937 on charges of belonging to a counter-revolutionary organization and executed in September 1938.
Stanislav Chizhevsky (a.k.a. Stanislaus Chijevsky)
Born: 1896, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Jewish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Brother of fellow URW member and deportee Lev Ilyich Chizhevsky. Joined the Buffalo branch of the Union of Russian Workers; arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported on the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/141.
Victor Chmylkowski (or Charnelkowski)
Born: 1869, Riga, Russia (present-day Latvia) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Mechanic Migration: Immigrated to US 1907 Affiliations: Communist Party of America
Active in socialist and communist politics in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he was treasurer of Polish Branch No. 80 of the Communist Party. In 1914 he married fellow deportee Victoria Okulicz, and the couple had two U.S.-born children. Arrested in March 1920, Chmylkowski and his wife sold their property and “voluntarily departed” for Russia on April 7, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/528.
Victoria Chmylkowski (née Okulicz)
Born: 1893, Łęczyca, Russia (present-day Poland) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Housewife Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Immigrated to the United States in 1913 and married fellow deportee Victor Chmylkowski the following year. She joined the Socialist Party and later the Polish Branch No. 80 of the Communist Party. Arrested alongside her husband in March 1920 and “voluntarily departed” for Russia with him on April 7, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54861/137.
Andrey Chuprina (a.k.a. Andrew)
Born: 1881, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1916 (via Canada) Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers?
Settled in Detroit, where his wife and three children also resided. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 on suspicion of belonging to the Union of Russian Workers, though evidence suggests he may have only attended a few URW meetings. “Voluntarily departed” on September 25, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54709/551; FBI file OG 385742; United States Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Charges of Illegal Practices of the Department of Justice.
Ferruccio Coacci, 1930. Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Italy.
Born: 1892, Ancona, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Shoemaker Migration: Immigrated to US 1911 Affiliation: Anarchist
An anarchist militant associated with Luigi Galleani and the newspaper Cronaca Sovversiva. He lived in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children. Arrested in 1918 and subsequently became a suspect—though not regarded as such by most historians—in the robberies and murder for which Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were later arrested. Deported on April 18, 1920, and was joined by his family in Italy.
According to journalist Eugene Lyons, at his home in Italy Coacci possessed anarchist literature on bomb-making and described himself as “a terrorist of the Galleani school.” In October 1921, he migrated to Argentina, where he became involved in anarchist “expropriations” and bombings and was associated with Severino Di Giovanni. In 1930, he was arrested in Buenos Aires with two other Italian anarchists in connection with the robbery of a bus company, but released for lack of evidence.
Sources: INS file 54379/396; FBI file OG 387205; CPC busta 1382; Eugene Lyons, Assignment in Utopia; Paul Avrich, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background.
Umberto Colarossi
Born: 1894, Carpineto, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Bookkeeper Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Anarchist
Became an anarchist shortly after arriving in the United States; associated with Luigi Galleani and Cronaca Sovversiva. From 1917 to 1919, he resided in Mexico in order to avoid the U.S. military draft. He was arrested in Chicago in May 1919 and deported on July 15, 1920.
In September 1921, he wrote a letter to an Italian government representative renouncing his previous radicalism. He was inducted into the Italian military in 1922 and later became a manager for the Singer Corporation in Italy. In 1929, the Fascist government reported that he demonstrated loyalty to the regime.
Sources: INS file 54616/214; CPC busta 1400; Paul Avrich, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background.
Sam Colbus
Born: 1879, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Miner Migration: Immigrated to US 1910 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and two children remained in Russia when he emigrated to the US. Joined the Union of Russian Workers in 1919 and was arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/592.
Amy Colyer (née Withall)
Source: Richmond Palladium (IN), January 8, 1920.
Born: 1881, London, England Nationality: British Ethnicity: English Occupation: Housewife Migration: Immigrated to US 1915 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
A university-educated daughter of a dress manufacturer, she was active in the Independent Labour Party and married fellow ILP member William Thomas Colyer before the couple emigrated to the U.S. to escape the wartime British political atmosphere. Joined the Socialist Party of America in Boston in 1916 and became branch secretary in 1917. In 1919, she joined the Communist Party of America and served as secretary of its Boston branch. Arrested with her husband during the second Palmer Raids in January 1920 and detained at Deer Island Prison. During interrogation, she stated, “As a communist I am opposed to all capitalist governments,” and when asked “Do you understand the form of government that you are enjoying in the United States?” she replied “I am not enjoying it, but I think I understand it.” After losing an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, she and her husband were deported on April 11, 1922.
After returning to England, she joined the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Labour Party, left for the CPGB in 1926, and later resumed activity in the Independent Labour Party. She anonymously collaborated on many of her husband’s writings.
Sources: INS file 54810/162; U.S. Congress, House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, Deportation Cases of William T. and Amy Colyer (Government Printing Office, 1920).
William Thomas Colyer (a.k.a. Tom Colyer)
Born: 1883, London, England Nationality: British Ethnicity: English Occupation: Writer Migration: Immigrated to US 1915 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Opposed the First World War as a member of the Independent Labour Party. Immigrated to the United States in 1915 with his wife and fellow ILP member, Amy Colyer. Joined the Socialist Party of America in Boston in 1916 and became a leading figure in the Massachusetts organization, which he helped transfer into the Communist Party of America in 1919. Wrote for several radical publications and served on the editorial staff of The Communist. Although he declared his intention to naturalize in 1916, he later abandoned the effort, citing disillusionment with U.S. political institutions. Arrested with his wife during the second Palmer Raids in January 1920 an detained at Deer Island Prison, where he helped organize a prisoners’ “soviet.” After losing their appeal, he and his wife were deported on April 11, 1922.
After returning to Britain, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Labour Party. Served as secretary of the Communist-affiliated Greater London Left-Wing Movement and the National Left-Wing Movement, but resigned amid conflicts with the CPGB in 1926. Published Americanism: A World Menace (1922) and The Worker’s Passport: A Study of the Legal Restrictions on Migrant Workers (1928). Ran unsuccessfully for Parliament in 1931 and 1935 as a Labour Party candidate. In 1942, he rejoined the Independent Labour Party and later served on its National Administrative Council. Died in 1956.
Sources: INS file 54810/209; U.S. Congress, House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, Deportation Cases of William T. and Amy Colyer (Government Printing Office, 1920); Lawrence Parker, Communists and Labour: The National Left-Wing Movement, 1925–1929.
James Cully (a.k.a. Jimmy Cully)
Born: c. 1870, Ireland Nationality: British Ethnicity: Irish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US year unknown Affiliation: IWW
As a member of the Industrial Workers of the World during the First World War, led a group of approximately 200 draft resisters in Rockford, Illinois. All were arrested, and 112 were convicted. Sentenced to two years in prison for conspiracy to interfere with military conscription and deported to England on June 21, 1919.
After deportation, he continued to be active as a street speaker for the Merseyside branch of the IWW in Liverpool. Also implicated in illegal activities on behalf of the Irish Republican Army.
Sources: Gerald E. Shenk, “Work or Fight!”: Race, Gender, and the Draft in World War One; Socialist Review (London), February 1, 1959; Liverpool Echo, June 28, 1923.
George Cyzyk (a.k.a. Paul Gigalko; Paul Zygaloff)
Born: 1896, Vilnius, Russia (present-day Lithuania) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Lithuanian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
A member and lecturer for the Union of Russian Workers. Arrested in Cleveland in February 1918 and again in New York during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. Anarchist literature, including copies of The Anarchist Soviet Bulletin, was found in his home. Also suspected of involvement in a counterfeiting scheme. Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54379/125; FBI file OG 375385.
Jan Dalkovksy (or Dalkowsky)
Born: 1896, Płock Governorate, Russia (present-day Poland) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America; IWW
Joined Polish Local No. 28 of the Socialist Party of America in Erie, Pennsylvania, in January 1918, and transferred into the Communist Party in 1919. He was also a member of the IWW. Arrested in January 1920 and deported to Poland on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54809/280.
Ivan Danilovich (a.k.a. John Danilovich)
Born: 1895, Grodno, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife remained in Russia while he emigrated. Became a member of the Union of Russian Workers in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/390; FBI file OG 388677.
John Dardzinski
Born: c. 1905, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Shade maker Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
A member of the Communist Party, he was arrested in Hamtramck, Michigan, in January 1920 and deported to Russia on March 18, 1921.
Born: 1894, Grodno Governorate, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
His wife remained in Russia when he emigrated. Became a member of the Communist Party of America in Detroit and was deported to Russia on February 1, 1921.
Born: 1893, Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Tire maker Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Joined the Communist Party in Detroit in December 1919. Arrested in January 1920 and deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Born: 1899, Grodno, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and two children remained in Russia while he emigrated. Joined the Union of Russian Workers in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1919 and was arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November of that year. Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/203.
Mikhail Degtyarev (a.k.a. Michael Diaktarow)
Born: 1889, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Socialist Party of America in Pittsburgh before affiliating with the Union of Russian Workers in Universal, Pennsylvania, in 1917. Served as acting secretary of his URW branch and possessed a large quantity of anarchist literature. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. During interrogation, he expressed a desire to return to Russia because “The work is exceptionally hard here and we are not given the opportunity to learn the English language and customs and therefore I find myself very inconvenient in this country.” Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/217.
Kalistrat Demco (or Demes)
Born: 1892, Brest, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Waiter Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Joined the Communist Party of America in Detroit. Arrested in January 1920 and deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/560.
Gerasim Demianoff (or Herasim Demianow)
Born: c. 1897, Branew, Russia (present-day Poland) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Russian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Employed at Ford Hospital in Detroit. Joined the Socialist Party of America and later the Communist Party of America. Arrested in January 1920, he was detained at Fort Wayne. Expressed a desire to return to Russia and was permitted to “voluntarily depart” aboard the SS Canada from Montreal on September 25, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54811/9.
Ivan Denczyk (a.k.a. John)
Born: 1884, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 (via Canada) Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and child remained in Russia when he emigrated. Joinedthe Union of Russian Workers in Philadelphia and later in Ansonia, Connecticut. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/325; FBI file OG 8000-383591.
Yakim Denisyuk (or Denisuk; a.k.a. Jack Denison)
Born: 1896, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Toolmaker; weaver Migration: Immigrated to US year unknown Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and three children remained in Russia. Joined the Chester, Pennsylvania branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1918. Appointed as the branch’s delegate to the Philadelphia “Soviet of Deputies.” Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. expressed a desire to remain in the United States, and said of Russian government, “before it was dominated by the Germans and now it is ruled by the Jews.” Provided information to authorities about other URW members in hopes of leniency but was nevertheless deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/451.
Alexander Derkach (or Derkatch)
Born: 1885, Grodno, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Printer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
In Russia, arrested for membership in the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party and later became an anarchist in 1911. Migrated to Austria, where he was again arrested, and then immigrated to the United States in 1913.
Joined the Union of Russian Workers in 1915 and was arrested in 1918 for publishing the Russian-language anarchist newspaper Kolokol, edited by Adolf Schnabel. Although he left the URW in 1918, he remained an outspoken anarchist and was arrested again in New York in 1919. Stated to authorities “all governments are based on violence, and supported by an institution of slavery and bayonets.” Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
In 1920, he signed a declaration of the Union of Russian Anarchist Workers Repatriated from America, which offered critical support for the Bolshevik regime as a temporary necessity.
Sources: INS file 54709/674; Victor Serge, Anarchists Never Surrender: Essays, Polemics, and Correspondence on Anarchism, 1908–1938.
Nello di Ciuccio (a.k.a. Nalia Desiuccio)
Born: 1892, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Tailor Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Anarchist; IWW
An anarchist and member of the IWW, he was arrested in San Francisco in 1919 and deported to Italy on May 5, 1920.
In 1941, Italian authorities reported that he had not engaged in political activity since his return.
Sources: INS file 54379/517; CPC busta 1778.
Vincenzo di Lecce (a.k.a. Ebreo Errante)
Vincenzo di Lecce, c. 1937. Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Italy.
Born: 1881, Masera, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1905 Affiliation: Anarchist
Joined the American Federazione Socialista Italiana after its formation in 1906 and left it in 1911. Although he had only two years of formal schooling, he taught himself to read. By 1909, he was contributing funds to Cronaca Sovversiva and later became a founding member of the anarchist Gruppo Autonomo of East Boston, alongside Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Arrested at his home in Athol, Massachusetts, where authorities discovered stolen drills, ammunition, a copy of Luigi Galleani’s bomb-making manual La Salute è in voi!, and correspondence with leading Italian anarchists. He was deported with Galleani on June 24, 1919.
Upon returning to Italy, he was briefly arrested for military desertion but soon released. He married Paoletta Anna in Ancona in December 1919, and the couple emigrated to Buenos Aires in May 1922. There he worked as a mechanic in a textile factory and had three children. In June 1930, he was arrested in Argentina for allegedly harboring members of Severino Di Giovanni’s anarchist group but was released after denying continued involvement in the anarchist movement. In May 1933, Italian authorities classified him as an antifascist subject to surveillance upon return.
Sources: INS file 54379/403; FBI file OG 266288; CPC busta 1794; Paul Avrich, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background.
Frank Diarkovsky (a.k.a. Franz Dzerkovskie)
Born: Year unknown, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1904 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Active in the revolutionary movement in Russia before immigrating to the United States in 1904. He later moved to Canada in 1912 and returned to the United States around 1915. Joined the Union of Russian Workers in Seattle. When authorities asked his nationality, he replied: “I belong to the world. I deny all nationality.” He further declared: “Only ignorant people don’t believe in anarchy…I believe in taking a big cannon and busting up all governments. They are no good.” Deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54860/406.
Joaquín Díaz Álvarez
Born: c. 1890, Ribadesella, Spain Nationality: Spanish Ethnicity: Occupation: Restaurant worker Migration: Immigrated to US unknown year Affiliation: Anarchist
In 1914 employed as a restaurant worker in Havana, Cuba; affiliated with the Cuban anarcho-syndicalist movement and the newspaper El Dependiente. Subsequently migrated to the United States. Deported to Spain on October 31, 1919.
Sources: El Dipendiente, January 28, 1914; Ministerio de Estado, Spain.
Born: 1877, Sunderland, England Nationality: British Ethnicity: English Occupation: Sailor; baker Migration: Immigrated to US 1897 Affiliation: IWW
Joined the Industrial Workers of the World circa 1909 and became an IWW delegate, organizer, and secretary of its Seattle branch. Arrested “at least five or six times” in connection with IWW activities. As a sailor, traveled to India, China, Japan, Singapore, Samoa, and the Philippines. Arrested in Seattle in July 1918 and deported on June 21, 1919.
Emigrated to Canada, arriving in Quebec on July 5, 1920. Organized on behalf of the IWW’s Martine Transport Workers Industrial Union in Vancouver.
Sources: INS file 54379/503; Ancestry.com; Industrial Worker, November 28, 1923.
Wincenty Dmowski (a.k.a. Vincenty Druowski)
Born: 1885, Russian Poland Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Migration: Immigrated to US 1924 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Arrested in Detroit during the January 1920 Palmer raids as a member of the Communist Party of America. Initially ordered deported to Poland, but later permitted “voluntary departure” to Soviet Russia. Departed October 16, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54709/836.
John W. Dobrinich
Born: 1889, Austria-Hungary (in present-day Croatia) Nationality: Austrian Ethnicity: Croatian Occupation: Coal miner Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Married with four children remaining in Croatia. Joined the South Slavic Branch of the Socialist Party in Staunton, Illinois in 1916, later becoming secretary of the Benld, Illinois branch. Transferred into the Communist Party. Arrested in Missouri on April 1, 1920. Appealed his case multiple times before being deported to Croatia on April 4, 1925.
Sources: INS file 54861/376; American Labor Year Book, 1926.
Peter Dolgay (or Dolgag; Dowhay)
Born: 1880, Vilnius, Russia (present-day Lithuania) Nationality: Russia Ethnicity: Lithuanian Occupation: Metal worker Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Wife and three children remained in Russia. Member of the Union of Russian Workers in Youngstown, Ohio. Arrested in August 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/543.
Victor Dombrowski (a.k.a. Douglas Dombrowski; Dombrivski)
Victor Dombrowski’s Socialist Party membership card. National Archives.
Born: 1871, Telsha, Russia (present-day Lithuania) Nationality/Ethnicity: Russian Ethnicity: Lithuanian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1900 Affiliation: IWW; Communist Party of America
Not politically active in Russia. Arrested in Chicago around 1914 and imprisoned for three years for assault with intent to kill. After his release, joined the Socialist Party of America and the IWW (leaving the latter in 1918), then the Communist Party in 1919. Arrested during the second Palmer Raids in January 1920 and deported to Lithuania on May 14, 1920.
Sources: INS file 54809/19; FBI files OG 385518 and OG 388575.
Gerasim Dorosh (a.k.a. Harry Dorosh; Mike Dorash; Mike Smith)
Born: 1893, near Brest-Litovsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Machinist Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Wife and child remained in Russia. Joined the URW branch in Ansonia, Connecticut in March 1919 and became branch secretary. Arrested June 1919 and deported to Russia on January 22, 1921.
Sources: INS folder 54616/252.
Konstantin Demyanovich Draco
Born: 1888, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Wife and son remained in Russia. Joined the New London, Connecticut URW branch in 1919. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/373; FBI file OG 388601.
Sidor Drankovich (a.k.a. Cedar Drankovich)
Born: 1880, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Autoworker Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party
Resided in Hamtramck, Michigan. Joined Detroit’s Russian Branch No. 3 of the Socialist Party in 1919, which later became a Communist Party branch. Arrested in January 1920 and detained at Fort Wayne. Deported March 18, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54589/983.
Dionisy Drichetz (a.k.a. Dennis Drichitz)
Born: Year unknown, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Unknown Migration: Immigration to US year unknown Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Member of the Communist Party of America in Bayonne, New Jersey. Arrested during the second Palmer Raids in January 1920 and deported to Russia on December 23, 1920.
Sources: INS folder 54325/36G; The Morning Post (Camden, NJ), December 23, 1920.
Sergey Drigov (or Drigoff)
Born: 1883, Mogilev, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Migrated to Canada 1913; then to US 1914 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers; IWW
Wife and children remained in Russia. Joined the Seattle URW in April 1919, becoming financial secretary, and joined the IWW in December 1919. Arrested in Seattle in January 1920 and deported to Russia on February 1, 1921 aboard the SS Estonia.
Sources: INS file 54860/473; FBI file OG 388594.
Alexandr Dubarev (or Dubareff)
Born: Year unknown, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Migration: Immigration to US year unknown Affiliation: Unknown
Name included on a government list of deported radicals; deported to Russia on January 27, 1921.
Sources: INS folder 54325/36G.
Ivan Dubov (a.k.a. John Duboff)
Ivan Dubov, 1919. The Globe (Worthington, MN), March 4, 1920.
Born: 1885, Fyodorovka, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Active in Union of Russian Worker branches in McKees Rocks (Pennsylvania), New York, and Detroit. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. Declared to authorities: “Of course, I am an anarchist… I do not acknowledge any government.” Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/97; FBI file OG 381656.
Peter Dubovik
Born: c. 1880, Zadworna, Russia (present-day Poland) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Member of the Union of Russian Workers in Seattle. Deported to Russia on January 22, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54860/462.
Ivan Dudinsky (a.k.a. John Dudinsky)
Dudinsky’s Communist Party membership card. National Archives.
Born: 1889, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Migration: Immigrated to US year unknown Affiliation: Communist Party of America
A former member of the Russian branch of the Socialist Party of America who then joined the Communist Party of America. Arrested in Newark, New Jersey and detained for 101 days while suffering from tuberculosis. Refused to answer questions without legal counsel, which was not provided. Deported December 23, 1920.
Emigrated to from Russia to Canada in 1923 and settled in Quebec. In 1935 sought permission to reenter the US temporarily, which was denied.
Sources: INS file 54810/346; Investigation of Administration of Louis F. Post, Assistant Secretary of Labor: In the Matter of Deportation of Aliens, Hearings, Sixty-sixth Congress, Second Session; Constantine Maria Panunzio, The Deportation Cases of 1919-1920; Beverly Gage, The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror.
Anton Dudka (a.k.a. Antonio or Tony Dudka)
Born: 1894, Podolsk, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Blacksmith; handyman Migration: Migrated to Canada 1914; then to US 1918 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Chairman of Buffalo’s East Side Russian Branch of the Communist Party. Arrested January 7, 1920. Denied all allegations. Deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54809/443.
Serge Dukhane
Born: c. 1892, Chernigov, Russia (present-day Chernihiv, Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Tailor Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Socialist Labor Party
Wife and child remained in Russia. Member of the Socialist Labor Party. Arrested in Pittsburgh in January 1920. Affirmed his belief in Communism and Bolshevism but denied membership in the Communist Party. Deported to Russia in February 1921.
Sources: INS file 54860/646.
Alex Dulchewski (or Dulchewsky; Dulchavsky)
Born: 1891, Grodno, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1909 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Member of the Communist Party in Detroit. Arrested January 1920 and deported to Russia on March 18, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54860/808.
Michael Dunetz
Born: 1885, Vilensky, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Carpenter Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Carpenter for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, where he also belonged to Russian Branch No. 3 of the Communist Party. Arrested January 1920, detained at Fort Wayne, and deported to Russia on March 18, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/988.
Wladyslaw Dwanowsky (a.k.a. Walter Jazonski)
Born: c. 1884, Lublin, Russia (present-day Poland) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Bricklayer Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Previously arrested in Russia for taking an unauthorized furlough (presumably from the Russian army). Arrested in Hamtramck, Michigan in January 1920 due to his Communist Party membership; previously detained for distributing radical May Day flyers. Deported to Russia on March 18, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/610.
Paul Dyachuk (a.k.a. Pavel Deonesieff)
Born: c. 1882, Kiev, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Boilermaker Migration: Immigrated to US 1903 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the URW in Seattle in 1919. Also a member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders and Helpers of America. Arrested January 1920 and deported to Russia on February 1, 1921.
Born: 1891, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian; Jewish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1908 or 1909 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Union of Russian Workers branch in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, where he served as branch treasurer. Arrested during the Palmer Raids and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
After deportation, settled briefly in Petrograd but soon fled to Poland. In 1923, with aid from comrades in North America, migrated to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he joined the anarchist Delo Truda Group and remained an active anarchist until his death in 1941.
Born: 1871, Catanzaro, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer; printer; journalist Migration: Immigrated to US 1906 Affiliation: Anarchist
Active as a socialist in Italy from 1898, repeatedly arrested for political activity. After migrating to the United States, became a committed anarchist and propagandist. Worked as a typesetter for Carlo Tresca’s La Plebe in Pittsburgh, then for Luigi Galleani’s Cronaca Sovversiva in Barre, Vermont, before relocating to Boston and later New York. Member of the anarchist Gruppo Gaetano Bresci in East Harlem. Published the anarchist journals Domani (1919) and L’Ordine (1919–1920). Arrested in February 1920 on suspicion of printing the anarchist leaflets left at the sites of 1919 radical bombings. Held incommunicado with Andrea Salsedo in the Bureau of Investigation’s Manhattan offices. According to Elia, Salsedo was beaten during interrogation and, on May 1, 1920, jumped—or was thrown—to his death from a twelfth-floor window. Elia was deported on August 7, 1920.
After deportation, remained active in the Italian anarchist movement, largely escaping police surveillance. Selected at a January 1921 conference to co-edit a new anarchist newspaper, but the project was delayed and Elia died of tuberculosis in 1924 before its publication.
Sources: INS file 54861/280 (missing); CPC busta 1879; aul Avrich, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background; Charles Howard McCormick, Hopeless Cases: The Hunt for the Red Scare Terrorist Bombers; Beverly Gage, The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror; Maurizio Antonioli et al., Dizionario biografico degli anarchici italiani; Aldo G. Ventrici, Roberto Elia. L’anarchismo antiorganizzatore negli Stati Uniti di primo ‘900.
Nikolai Elkevich (a.k.a. Mike Elkevich)
Elkevich’s Communist Party membership card. National Archives.
Born: c. 1891, Vilna, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Former member of the Socialist Party, later joined Detroit’s Russian Branch No. 4 of the Communist Party. Arrested during the January 1920 raids and deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54709/710.
Ivan Elko
Born: 1895, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Miner Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Employed at the Dakota Mines in Fairmont, West Virginia. Member of both the Union of Russian Workers and the United Mine Workers; elected secretary of the Farmington, West Virginia URW branch. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. Stated to authorities: “I don’t want to be deported. I want to remain here. I want to work here and I might stay here throughout my life.” Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/602.
Robert Elstin (a.k.a. Robert Kisten)
Elstin’s application and membership card for the Communist Party. National Archives.
Born: 1884, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Latvian Occupation: Carpenter Migration: Migrated to Canada 1913; then to US 1914 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Entered Canada in 1913 as the “man servant” of Russian Consul General Basek, then migrated to the United States. Former member of the Russian branch of the Socialist Party; transferred in 1919 to Baltimore’s Lettish Branch of the Communist Party. Married, with wife Evelyn residing in the US. Arrested in Baltimore during the second Palmer Raids on January 2, 1920. Deported on February 1, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/535; FBI file OG 388790.
Ivan Ermola (or Yarmola; Yermola)
Born: 1895, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Newark branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1918. Arrested during the Palmer Raids and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/350.
Adolph Ersson
Adolph Ersson, 1916. Everett Pubic Library.
Born: 1890, Karlskrona, Sweden Nationality: Swedish Ethnicity: Occupation: Sailor; laborer Migration: Immigrated to Australia 1905; then immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: IWW
Active in union and strike activity in Australia after emigrating there. Then migrated to the U, where he joined the IWW in Denver in 1914. Survivor of the 1916 Everett Massacre; arrested in its aftermath and held until charges were dropped in 1917. Arrested again in Seattle in October 1918 and in Los Angeles in May 1919. Deported on June 26, 1919.
After deportation made his way to Norway, where gave speeches about the repression of the IWW in the US. Found work on a ship sailing from Kristiana to New York, where he jumped ship in December 1919. 1924 working as a laborer in Buffalo. At some point he returned to Sweden, where he died in 1967.
Born: c. 1891, Volhynia, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Member of Detroit’s Russian Branch No. 3 of the Communist Party. Arrested January 1920, detained at Fort Wayne, and deported to Russia on March 3, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54860/362.
Nikita Eskimashko (a.k.a. Nikita Ikmasko)
Born: 1894, Minsk, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Carpenter Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Member of Philadelphia URW Branch No. 1. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/331.
Fred Evanov (or Evanow; Evanoff)
Born: 1896, Russia Nationality/Ethnicity: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Plumber Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Illiterate. Member of the Communist Party in Detroit. Arrested January 2, 1920 and deported on March 18, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/5.
Angelo Faggi
Angelo Faggi, c. 1919. Archivio Centrale dello Stato, Italy.
Born: 1885, Brozzi, Italy Nationality/Ethnicity: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer; journalist Migration: Migrated to Switzerland 1912; then to US 1915 Affiliation: IWW
Raised in a socialist family, joined the Italian Socialist Party at age 15. Active in Genoa’s Chamber of Labor and later a journalist for socialist and syndicalist newspapers. Became a revolutionary syndicalist by 1907 and left the PSI. Served as secretary of the Piacenza Chamber of Labor before fleeing to Switzerland to avoid imprisonment; expelled in 1914, moved to Paris, then immigrated to the US in 1915.
In Barre, Vermont, published Lo Scalpellino and joined the IWW, becoming a lecturer and later editor of the IWW newspaper Il Proletario. Arrested repeatedly for labor agitation; arrested in Chicago in May 1919 and “voluntarily departed” with his wife and two children to Italy on August 30, 1919.
After returning to Italy, again elected secretary of the Piacenza Chamber of Labor and helped found the local paramilitary antifacist Arditi del Popolo. Played a leading role in the 1920 factory occupations and became acting secretary of the Italian Syndicalist Union. Arrested in 1921 in connection with the Teatro Diana bombing; while imprisoned, elected to parliament as a protest Socialist candidate. After release, repeatedly assaulted by fascists and emigrated to Nice, France in 1923. Later joined socialist and antifascist exile organizations, served in the French military during WWII, returned to Italy after the war, and was elected mayor of Piacenza in 1956. Died in 1957.
Born: 1894, Teramo, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Anarchist
An anarchist and subscriber to Cronaca Sovversiva. In December 1916, arrested in West Rutland, Massachusetts, for stabbing a police officer in the hand during a melee at an anarchist anti-preparedness event. In apparent retaliation, a bomb was detonated at the local police station, causing no injuries. After serving his sentence, he was held for deportation and deported on June 24, 1919.
Upon his return to Italy, he was arrested for avoiding military conscription during the war. He remained under state surveillance thereafter, but Italian authorities reported “good political conduct” from the time of his arrival through 1941.
Sources: INS file 54379/394; CPC busta 1928; Paul Avrich, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background
Anton Federako (a.k.a. Tony Federaco)
Born: 1891, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Union of Russian Workers in Harrison, New Jersey, in 1919. Arrested in Newark during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. When questioned, denied membership in the URW and claimed he had merely stopped by its offices for a glass of tea; however, an undercover federal informant identified him as a lecturer for the organization. Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/339; FBI file OG 379806.
Nick Federov
Born: 1884, Samara, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Machinist Migration: Immigrated to US 1907 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
A machinist residing in Milwaukee with his wife and daughter. Member of Milwaukee’s Russian Branch No. 1 of the Communist Party; formerly a member of the Socialist Party. His wife, Titena Federov, as well as her mother Olga and stepfather Mike Kruk, were also Communist Party members. Arrested in January 1920. When informed of the possibility of deportation without his wife, he stated, “I can’t live without my wife; maybe I going to get crazy, or something like that.” Deported on March 18, 1921, accompanied by his wife and child.
Sources: INS file 54859/149.
Maxim Fedorash
Born: 1884, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1914 Affiliation: Communist Party of America (non-member)
Injured while working on a railroad in Canada in 1915 and hospitalized for two months. Later attended a Communist Party-run night school in Detroit and expressed support for Communist ideas, though he never formally joined the Communist party. Arrested in January 1920 and deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/770.
Ivan Fedosky (a.k.a. John Fedosky; Iwan Fesosky)
Born: 1889, Grodno, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Migrated to Canada 1914; to US 1916 Affiliation: Socialist Party of America
Entered the United States via Canada without inspection. Member of the Russian branch of the Socialist Party of America in Detroit (which was not a deportable offense). In April 1919, turned over to Detroit police by his employer, the Great Lakes Engineering Company, for allegedly spreading Bolshevik propaganda among plant employees. Deported aboard the Buford as “likely to become a public charge” and for unlawful entry.
Sources: INS file 54616/170.
Kirio Fedyk
Fedyk’s URW membership card. National Archives.
Born: 1894, Kiev, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 (via Canada) Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Hartford, Connecticut branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1918. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/379; FBI file OG 271860.
Ivan Felchuk (a.k.a John; Filchuk; Wilchuk; Nilchuk)
Born: 1893, Skobelka, Volyn, Russia (present-day Ukraine) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Ukrainian Occupation: Autoworker Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Communist Party of America
Joined Detroit’s Russian Branch No. 3 of the Communist Party in the summer of 1919. Deported to Russia on February 26, 1921.
Sources: INS file 54859/9.
Emil Feltman
Born: 1881 or 1882, Berlin, Germany Nationality: German Ethnicity: Occupation: Miner; union organizer Migration: Immigrated to US 1882 Affiliation: IWW
Migrated to the United States as an infant with his father; orphaned by age six following his father’s death in a mining accident in Butte, Montana. Enlisted in the US Army in 1898 and served in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars; honorably discharged in 1900. Joined the IWW in 1913 and became an organizer in 1918. Married fellow IWW member Fannie Martini in Bisbee, Arizona, in 1916. Arrested in Jerome, Arizona, in February 1919 while organizing miners during a strike. According to the arresting officer, “he also said that it didn’t make any difference where he was deported to, whether it was Germany or China, he would continue his present agitation as organizer of the I.W.W.s.” His mental and physical health deteriorated while detained. Deported on May 22, 1920.
After deportation, worked briefly as a coal miner in Westphalia and later migrated to Soviet Russia, becoming one of the first Americans to join the Kuzbas Autonomous Industrial Colony in Siberia. Left Russia along with sixteen other disillusioned Kuzbas members in September 1922.
Sources: INS file 54616/140; FBI file OG 194288; Harry Weinberger Papers, Yale University Library; J. P. Morray, Project Kuzbas: American Workers in Siberia (1921-1926).
Kiril Fengol ( a.k.a. Kirin Pinhol)
Fengol’s URW membership card. National Archives.
Born: 1896, Grodno, Russia (present-day Belarus) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Belarusian Occupation: Dishwasher Migration: Immigrated to US 1912 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Hartford, Connecticut branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1919. Arrested in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Josef Ramón Fernández (a.k.a. José Ramón Fernández)
Members of Spanish-speaking Los Corsarios Group, including Fernández, 1919. National Archives.
Born: 1898, Oviedo, Spain Nationality: Spanish Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Migrated to Cuba c. 1914; then to US 917 Affiliation: Industrial Workers of the World; anarchist
Became an anarchist at approximately sixteen years of age. Around 1914 he migrated from Spain to Cuba, and in 1917 he entered the United States. Became a member of the Industrial Workers of the World and joined the Spanish-speaking anarchist Los Corsarios group. In February 1919 arrested in New York City along with thirteen other members of Los Corsarios by the Secret Service. The group was accused, without evidence, of plotting to assassinate President Woodrow Wilson. All criminal charges were eventually dropped; nevertheless, several members of the group, including Fernández, were detained for deportation on the grounds of anarchism. Fernández was deported to Spain on May 5, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54616/79.
Ramón Fernández (a.k.a. Raymond Fernandez)
Born: Year unknown, Cuba Nationality: Cuban Ethnicity: Occupation: Migration: Immigrated to US prior to 1918 Affiliation: Anarchist; IWW
After immigrating to the US became involved in anarchist activities and the Industrial Workers of the World. In 1918 he was arrested in Seattle and convicted under the state’s criminal syndicalism law. After serving three months, he was pardoned by the governor to allow for his deportation. Fernández was held at the Seattle immigration station until March 1920, after which he was transferred to Ellis Island. In November 1921 he was deported to Spain, but Spanish authorities refused him admission on the grounds that he was Cuban-born. He was returned to Ellis Island and, in March 1922, deported to Cuba, where authorities likewise denied him entry, claiming he had forfeited Cuban citizenship by avoiding military service during World War I. On July 22, 1922, Fernández was permitted to depart “voluntarily” at his own expense to Russia, traveling via Rotterdam.
In Russia he joined the Kuzbass Autonomous Industrial Colony in Kemerovo, Siberia, where he remained until the colony’s dissolution in 1926. During this period he contributed occasional reports to the anarchist newspaper Cultura Obrera. Married a Russian woman with whom he had a son. Working on constructing tractor factories in Stalingrad and Kharkiv, then settled in the Urals in the town of Revda. On March 10, 1938, arrested during the Great Purge on charges of alleged counterrevolutionary sabotage and espionage; sentenced to ten years in the Vyatlav labor camp, where he died on January 27, 1940.
Sources: Harry Weinberger Papers, Yale University Library; Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Papers, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Cultura Obrera; https://xn--80aah0car.xn--p1ai/?p=13556.
Egor Matveevich Feskov (a.k.a. Grigory Feskov; Harry Feskow)
Born: 1885, Stepok, Russia Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1913 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
Joined the Hartford, Connecticut branch of the Union of Russian Workers in 1919. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919 and deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
In 1935, acting through the Russian consul in New York, Feskov retained attorney Aaron Banenson to recover personal bank savings he had been unable to access following his deportation. The amount sought totaled $2,404, consisting of $983.50 plus compound interest. In 1943, a judge ruled in Feskov’s favor and ordered the funds returned to him.
Sources: INS files 54709/524 and 56167/137; Hartford Courant, December 23, 1943.
William Fields
Born: 1880, London, England Nationality: British Ethnicity: English Occupation: Lumber worker Migration: Immigrated to US 1905 Affiliation: IWW
Joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1917. In May 1918 he was arrested in Seattle, Washington, and subsequently ordered deported. Fields was deported on February 27, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54379/416 (missing); FBI file OG 194446.
Ivan Filisofov (a.k.a. John Philisoph)
Born: 1877, Volynia, Russia (present-day Poland) Nationality: Russian Ethnicity: Polish Occupation: Laborer Migration: Migrated to Argentina c. 1914; then to US c. 1915 Affiliation: Union of Russian Workers
His wife and three children remained in Russia when he emigrated. Authorities alleged that he was a member of the Union of Russian Workers branch in Thomaston, Connecticut, though Filisofov denied this and claimed membership only in the Union of Russian Citizens, a non-partisan umbrella organization for Russian progressives. Arrested during the first Palmer Raids in November 1919. A substantial quantity of anarchist, IWW, and Communist literature was seized from his room, some of which he claimed belonged to a roommate. Deported aboard the Buford on December 21, 1919.
Sources: INS file 54709/166; FBI file OG 355772.
Olaf Finnestad
Flier protesting arrests of Finnestad and fellow IWW member Adolph Errson. National Archives.
Born: 1894, Stavanger, Norway Nationality: Norwegian Ethnicity: Occupation: Laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1910 Affiliation: IWW
Joined the IWW in Los Angeles in 1916 and served as secretary of the Minneapolis IWW branch in 1918. Arrested in Seattle in October 1918 and deported on March 1, 1919.
Upon returning to Norway, Finnestad immediately joined the Norwegian Syndicalist Federation and the anarchist Norwegian Youth’s Socialist League, and gave lectures on conditions in the United States. Spearheaded a brief and unsuccessful campaign to spread the IWW to Scandinavia. In August 1920 he emigrated to Canada and married; in 1924 he illegally reentered the United States with his wife and ultimately obtained U.S. citizenship. Died in Portland, Oregon, in 1974.
Sources: INS file 54517/68; The Workers’ World (Kansas City), August 1, 1919; Fellow Worker, February 1, 1920; Ancestry.com.
Friedrich Fischer (a.k.a. Charles Williams; Charles William Fischer)
Born: 1877, Germany Nationality: German Ethnicity: Occupation: Sailor; lumber worker; laborer Migration: Immigrated to US 1896 Affiliation: IWW
Sailed extensively out of U.S. ports and joined the IWW in 1916. In December 1917 arrested as an “alien enemy” while working on the waterfront, but released. Arrested again in January 1918 in Walla Walla, Washington, for IWW membership. Despite his stated opposition to the German Kaiser and monarchy, Fischer was interned as an enemy alien at Fort Douglas, Utah. In June 1919 he was granted “voluntary departure” in exchange for his release from internment.
Sources: INS file 54379/61.
Enrique Flores Magón
Enrique Flores Magón (standing center left, without a hat) with family and supporters in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, March 4, 1923, following his deportation.
Born: 1877, Teotitlán del Camino, Mexico Nationality: Mexican Ethnicity: Occupation: Millwright; journalist Migration: Immigrated to US 1903 Affiliation: Partido Liberal Mexicano; anarchist
Opposed the dictatorship of Mexican president Porfirio Díaz, along with his brother Ricardo Flores Magón, leading to their arrests in 1903. Later that year the brothers immigrated to the United States, where they founded the Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) and its newspaper Regeneración.
Over time, the PLM became increasingly radical, embracing anarchism and supporting the IWW. Enrique was repeatedly arrested in the US for political activities. In 1917 he broke with the PLM over personal and political disagreements. In 1918 began serving a sentence for “mailing unmailable matter” and was released from Leavenworth Penitentiary in 1920. On March 4, 1923 he accepted “voluntary departure” to Mexico.
Remained active in Mexican anarchist circles and wrote for the international anarchist press through 1926, when he announced his “retirement” from the movement due to physical disability and poverty. In the 1930s accepted a government pension as a “precursor of the Mexican Revolution” and dedicated himself to rewriting the history of the PLM as part of the history of Mexican nationalism. Died in 1954.
Deported from the United States to Austria on May 8, 1920. Included on a government list of deported radicals, but no further documentation found.
Sources: INS file 54325/36G.
Virgilio Foli
Born: 1886, Fano, Italy Nationality: Italian Ethnicity: Occupation: Miner; farmer Migration: Immigrated to US 1902 Affiliation: Anarchist
Became an anarchist around 1916. In December 1920 arrested in Spring Valley, Illinois, and ordered deported. Deported on March 16, 1921.
After repatriation, briefly migrated to Belgium in 1923 in search of work, then returned to Italy, where he became a farmer. Italian authorities reported no further political activity and removed him from the list of subversives in 1937. However, following his death in 1969, comrades wrote in the anarchist newspaper L’Internazionale that his was “a life lived intensely for the affirmation of anarchist ideas, for which he suffered persecution and exile.”
Sources: INS file 54885/19; CPC busta 2101; True Republican (Sycamore, IL), March 30, 1921; Andrea Pirondini, Anarchici a Modena: Dizionario biografico; L’Internazionale, February 1, 1969.
