Robert Klonsky

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Robert Klonsky
Born	12 March 1918 New York
Died	September 7, 2002 Chicago
Known for	Abraham Lincoln Brigade
Children	Michael and Fred

Robert Klonsky (12 March 1918 – September 7, 2002) was a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which fought on the side of the Spanish Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, a prelude to World War II.

Klonsky was a defendant in a trial in the mid-1950s of nine Philadelphia members of the Communist Party. He was convicted in 1954 of violating the Smith Act, which outlawed “teaching or advocating the overthrow of the American government by force.” He served over a year at the federal penitentiary at Allenwood, Pennsylvania, before the Justice Department withdrew charges in 1958.

In 1958, Klonsky moved to California, and over the years was active in organizing workers in the film industry. He supported jailed professor Angela Davis, demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and had a few acting parts in movies. He and other survivors of the Spanish war were made honorary citizens of Spain in 1998.

Klonsky died September 7, 2002 in Chicago at the age of 84. He is survived by two sons, Michael and Fred, along with granddaughters Jennifer, Jessica, Leigh, Amanda and Joanna, as well as a great grandson, Oscar.