Eric Thomas Chester is an American author, socialist political activist, and former economics professor.

Born in New York City, he is the son of Harry (an economist on the research staff of the United Auto Workers) and Alice (a psychiatrist né Fried) Chester.

In October 1965 he was arrested in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the first draft board sit-in as part of one of the first acts of civil disobedience against the American government's warfare against the people of Vietnam.

He taught economics at the University of Massachusetts-Boston from 1973 to 1978, where he helped to organize the faculty-staff union, an affiliate of the National Education Association.

[7] He campaigned for the Socialist Party USA's presidential nomination for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 elections, but lost to David McReynolds, Walt Brown and Brian Moore respectively.

Chester was also active in the Clydeside IWW General Membership Branch and the Spirit of Revolt, an archive for documents produced by Glasgow anarchist and libertarian socialist activists.

Following the principles and ideas of Eugene V. Debs and Rosa Luxemburg, Chester describes himself as a revolutionary democratic socialist.

He advocates uniting the radical and revolutionary movements into an organization that can challenge and transform the global capitalist system.

In his research, Chester seeks "to probe beneath the surface", while keeping in mind that "the goals and actions of decision makers, as well as their envoys, are frequently in marked contrast to their public statements.

Two of the first four, Covert Network and The U. S. Intervention in the Dominican Republic, looked at "the connections between U.S. foreign policy and social democrats.” during the Cold War.