Emil Hurja
Emil Edward Hurja was an American newspaper editor and political consultant. Hurja was a pioneer of political opinion polling and played an advisory role during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.Biography
Hurja was born in Crystal Falls, Michigan. He was one of twelve children born to Matt Hurja and Anna Liisa Hurja, both of whom were immigrants from Finland to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 1917, he received his A. B. at the University of Washington. He served as a Captain in the United States Army during World War I. He worked as the newspaper editor for the Breckenridge Daily American in Breckenridge, Texas. He was editor of the Pathfinder magazine.
Hurja was executive director of the Democratic National Committee under the direction of Democratic National Committee Chairman James Farley. He also provided poll analysis for the Democratic Party during elections held during 1932, 1934 and 1936. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Michigan and appeared on the cover of Time in March 1936. He was a candidate in the Republican primary for U.S. Representative from the 12th District of the State of Michigan.
In 1919, he married Gudrun Andersen. He died in Washington, D.C. and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.Honors
He was awarded both the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav.Related reading
