Triumvirs

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

(Speer) Three who share authority and rule. The Triumvirate of fandom was Moskowitz, Sykora, and Taurasi, drawn together by enmity toward Wollheim. Sykora's feud with the latter dated from the dissolution of the ISA in 1937; Moskowitz' originated in W's charge that SaM's account of the Third Convention was full of errors and typical of the shallow fans who will not think, and of the exchange of barrage that followed; Taurasi had been a neutral prior to the breakup of the GNYSFL. Not long after this last event, Moskowitz got them together, and after a period of conferring they started New Fandom. Following the policy, newly popular, of refusing to engage in feuding, they built up the QSFL, New Fandom, and the widely-circulated FANTASY NEWS. Their power became such that their opponents referred to them as dictators, and Michel and Speer coined a series of ekenames patterned on those of the Axis leaders; Moskowitz was Der Fuhrer of the Newark Swamps, Taurasi Il Duce of Flushing Flats, Sykora the Mikado of Long Island City -- all this from their places of residence. They successfully staged the NYCon I, but the X Act alienated such former neutrals as Tucker, Ackerman, and Hart. With the support of the large QSFL, however, and usually of the Phillies against the Futurians, they continued to be strong thru the Philco1940 Philo. About this time, Taurasi became less active, talking of going into the service, and Sykora took over FANTASY NEWS. Sykora was discredited after the ChiCon I by the report circulated therein that he had been arrested, and released with a warning, on an IMM charge [hence the by-name "Psykora"]. Moskowitz had set up shop as an agent, and became less active before he was drafted. That the Triumvirate was still in existence, however, was shown early the next year in the fuss at the QSFL.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

(Speer) - Three who share authority and rule. The Triumvirate of fandom was Moskowitz, Sykora, and Taurasi, drawn together by enmity toward Wollheim. Sykora's feud with him dated from the dissolution of the ISA in 1937; Moskowitz's originated in W's charge that his account of the Third Convention was full of errors and typical of the shallow fans who will not think, and the exchanges of barrages that followed; while Taurasi had been a neutral up to the breakup of the GNYSFL. Not long after this last event, Moskowitz got them together, and after a period of conferring they started New Fandom. Following the policy, newly popular, of refusing to engage in feuding, they built up the QSFL and New Fandom, and the widely-circulated Fantasy-News. They successfully staged the First World Science-Fiction Convention, but the X Act alienated such former neutrals as Tucker, Reinsberg, Ackerman, and Hart. With the support of the large Queens SFL, however, and usually of the Phillies against the Futurians, they continued to be strong thru the Philadelphia Conference of 1940. About this time, Taurasi became less active, talking of going into the Army, and Sykora took over Fantasy-News. Sykora was discredited after the Chicon by the report circulated there that he had been arrested, and released with a warning, in a charge involving a little girl. Moskowitz had set up shop as an author's agent, and became less active before he was drafted. Tho the leader of the Triumvirate during its best period, he had never been the irreconcilable enemy of the Futurians that Sykora was. In the spring of 1940, when the Phillies and Speer visited a QSFL meeting, the Phillies that evening took Foghorn Samuel to the Ivory Tower, and after the Futurians had recovered from the shock, all fraternized. That the Triumvirate was still in existence, however, was shown early next year in the fite at the QSFL.

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