Isaak, Abraham (1856-1937)

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Mentioned in (8)
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Statement on Abraham Isaak and Chicago Anarchists, September 8, 1901

Comments on Abraham Isaak, September 9, 1901

Charles O. Boring to Jane Addams, September 10, 1901

Statement on Abraham Isaak, September 10, 1901

Clarence Seward Darrow to Jane Addams, September 11, 1901

Autobiographical Notes Upon Twenty Years at Hull-House: Echoes of the Russian Revolution, September 1910

Jane Addams to Harold LeClair Ickes, October 10, 1914

Jane Addams to Harold LeClair Ickes, October 11, 1914

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Birth Date

1856-10-04

Death Date

1937-12-10

Birthplace

Rosenthal, Chortitza Colony

Biographical Text

Abraham Isaak was involved in the small-scale anarchist movement in America. He was born in a Mennonite community in Russia. in 1890, Isaak made his way to the United States, first settling in San Francisco and then Portland, Oregon. There, he joined the Socialist Labor Party and then, in 1895, began printing a weekly anarchist pamphlet, Firebrand. This publication ran until 1897 when police shut it down and Isaak was briefly arrested for his involvement. He then became the publisher and editor of Free Society, another anarchist leaflet, created a publishing office in his home. In 1901, Isaak moved to Chicago, where he became involved in the assassination of William McKinley after he coincidentally met the assassin, Leon Czolgosz, a few days before the incident. As a result of this encounter, he, along with his family and multiple other known anarchists, were arrested and put in jail. In 1904, Isaak moved to New York, but the move caused Free Society to suffer financially and eventually close. In 1909, Isaak and his wife founded the anarchist-inspired Aurora Colony near Lincoln, California, where they rented out small patches of land to other families to farm. The colony ultimately failed due to fighting and a lack of agricultural knowledge and experience. Isaak later worked as a member of the Farm Bureau.

Isaak was married to Maria Isaak. Together they had three children: Abraham, Mary, and Peter. Isaak died in 1937.