Samuel Kurz was born on July 4, 1908 in Chicago, the son of poor immigrants from Poland.
He changed his name to Charles Curtiss and earned his living by working as a miner and sailor, before finally becoming a skilled printer.
[1] In 1928, Curtiss joined the Communist League of America, the Trotskyist movement led by James P. Cannon.
[1] After the assassination of Trotsky, Curtiss and his wife returned to the United States and the SWP, living and working in Los Angeles for a couple of years.
When 18 of the SWP's most prominent leaders, including James P. Cannon, Farrell Dobbs and Carl Skoglund, were sentenced to jail according to the Smith Act, for opposing U.S. involvement in World War II, Curtiss moved to New York City to help take over the leadership of the party.