# Socialist Party of America **The Socialist Party of America** was formed on July 29, 1901, by a merger of the Social Democratic Party of America and dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party. It was the vehicle for [[Eugene V. Debs]]'s presidential campaigns, reached a peak of 113,371 dues-paying members during his 1912 run, elected two U.S. representatives (Victor Berger of Milwaukee and Meyer London of New York) and more than 70 mayors, and opposed U.S. entry into [[World War I]], which brought federal prosecution of its leaders. Norman Thomas led it from 1928; it renamed itself Social Democrats, USA, and formally dissolved on December 30, 1972. ## See Also - [[Eugene V. Debs]] · [[Socialism]] · [[Democratic Socialism]] · [[Red Scare]] · [[1912 Presidential Election]]