Career
He represented the First Congressional District of Washington as a Democrat. De Lacy was elected to the Seattle City Council in 1937. He was subsequently elected as President of the Washington Commonwealth Federation, a left-wing pressure group within the Washington State Democratic Party that was controlled by the Communist Party United States of America. De Lacy"s party membership was first publicly revealed by the former Executive Secretary of the Washington Commonwealth Federation, Howard Costigan, who declared in sworn testimony delivered to the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1954 that he had sat with De Lacy on the governing bureau of the Seattle district of the CPUSA from 1937 to 1939.
De Lacy was elected to the United States Congress in 1944, replacing fellow Democrat Warren G. Magnuson who had retired from the House to run (successfully) for United States Senate.
De Lacy"s time in the nation"s capital was short-lived, however, as he was defeated by Republican Homer Jones in the ensuing election of 1946. DeLacy, along with Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger introduced the word "Hootenanny" as a musical term, to the world.
Hugh DeLacy papers. 1938-1985. 4.87 cubic feet (11 boxes, 1 map tube, 1 package).
At the Labor of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Hugh De Lacy and the Washington Commonwealth Federation, from Strikes! Labor History Encyclopedia for the Pacific Northwest.
