Biography
Adolph Frank Germer was born in Welan, East Prussia; emigrated 1888 and entered Illinois coal mines at age eleven. As National Executive Secretary of the Socialist Party (1916–1919) he was the chief enforcer of the party's St. Louis antiwar platform. Co-defendant in the Chicago Trial of Five before Judge Landis; convicted Jan 8, 1919 and sentenced to 20 years. Conviction vacated by Berger v. United States (Jan 31, 1921). Later led the SP "loyalist" faction, broke with the SP in 1923, and in 1935 became John L. Lewis's first CIO field representative.
Custody correction: The February 20, 1919 Roseburg Review dates sentencing. The February 27 Wagoner County Democrat confirms bail furnished for all five. Sentencing is not prison admission; the unsupported 711-day custody span is removed.
The GrandRapids report explicitly says SocialistParty national secretary Germer submitted to arrest, pleaded not guilty and was released on bond after the federal anti-conscription indictment. This1917Michigan arrest is distinct from the later ChicagoTrialofFive. No exact submission/bail day or complete duration is supplied.
International Socialist Review, July1917, vol.XVIII no.1, PDF page 13.
