Hout, Isaac Salomon van der

Took part in the fifth congress of the IWA (1872) as a delegate of the section of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Foreman of the Amsterdam branch of the First International, was born in Amsterdam on 25 September 1843 and died in London on 15 March 1918. He was the son of Salomon Isaac van der Hout, loose workman, and Catharina Joseph Hoepelman. On 19 December 1866, he married Sara Harpman, with whom he had a daughter and three sons. Name in English also spelt as Vanderhout.

Van der Hout joined the Amsterdam branch of the (First) International shortly after the Third Dutch Workers Congress, held in Amsterdam on 28 and 29 May 1871. In the summer of 1871, he and Klaas Ris and F.W.L. Sauer, among others, were founders of the Gemengde Vereeniging in Amsterdam, of which he was a board member until the end of 1872. This Gemengde Vereeniging became the heart of the Amsterdam branch of the Internationale. In September 1871, Van der Hout was elected to the Alliance Council of the Dutch section of the International on behalf of this association. When a Committee for Revival of the Society was set up from the Mixed Society at the end of 1871, Van der Hout also had a seat on it. In this way, Van der Hout became actively involved in setting up trade unions for as yet unorganised professional groups, such as bakers' fellows and sawmill workers. These organisational activities were not limited to Amsterdam. In mid-1872, the activities of the Gemengde Vereeniging - and of Van der Hout - gained momentum. In Amsterdam, a political agitation movement arose around the Gemengde Vereeniging's public meetings in Dalrust. There, people discussed the high cost of living for workers. In August, this led to two street demonstrations, during which an address was delivered to the mayor. At the moment when the movement seemed to be in real turmoil, Van der Hout exerted a moderating influence. Having led the first demonstration, he tried to prevent the second and opposed Sauer's idea of using the work strike as a means of political pressure. At the Hague Congress of the International from 1 to 7 September 1872, Van der Hout attended as a delegate for the Amsterdam section. There he found himself in the showdown between K. Marx and the non-attending M. Bakunin. Van der Hout described his position at this congress afterwards as neutral. He had 'preserved a truly Dutch position, abstaining from politics and the political aim of the International'. Nevertheless, he signed the Bakunist minority's declaration rejecting the authority of the General Council. Meanwhile, after the meeting with the leaders of the Hague Congress, the Dalrust movement had reached its peak. The meetings did continue until December 1872, but public response diminished sharply.

When Van der Hout found himself unemployed again in late 1872 after all sorts of loose work, he and Sauer decided to try their luck in London. After parting in Amsterdam and Utrecht, they left Rotterdam on 3 December. Their families remained in Amsterdam for the time being, supported by associates. Van der Hout carried a letter of recommendation from H. Gerhard to Marx. In London, Sauer and he tried to get work through Fr Engels. However, Van der Hout was soon offered work in Germany and left for Alten-Essen in February 1873. There he worked as a miner for some time. From Germany, he wrote some more articles for De Werkman. In June 1873, Van der Hout was still in the Netherlands for a short time. This was because he was on the bureau of the congress of the Demokratische Bond voor Noord- en Zuid-Nederland, which took place in Amsterdam on 2 June 1873. Shortly afterwards, he and his family returned to Alten-Essen.
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https://socialhistory.org/bwsa/biografie/hout