It Can’t Happen Here Character Analysis

Doremus Jessup/William Barton Dobbs

Doremus Jessup, a 60-year-old newspaper editor, is the protagonist of It Can’t Happen Here. Jessup lives and works in the small town of Fort Beulah, Vermont. The novel centers on his family and social… read analysis of Doremus Jessup/William Barton Dobbs

Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip

Buzz Windrip is the populist senator who wins the 1936 presidential election and sets up a fascist dictatorship in It Can’t Happen Here. At the beginning of the novel, Windrip builds mass support by… read analysis of Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip

Mrs. Candy

Mrs. Candy is the Jessup family’s sharp, sarcastic housekeeper. Hardworking, reliable, and socially aware, she contrasts strongly with both the bitter Shad Ledue and the uninformed Emma Jessup. She eventually joins the New Underground… read analysis of Mrs. Candy

Father Charles Coughlin

Father Coughlin was a real-life priest and radio host who amassed a massive nationwide audience during the Great Depression. He publicly advocated fascist policies, spread extreme anti-Semitism, and built an enormous political movement called the… read analysis of Father Charles Coughlin

Captain Cowlick

Captain Cowlick is the superintendent of Trianon concentration camp for most of the time that Jessup is there. Cowlick is shy and peaceful—so much so that he lets Ensign Stoyt abuse the inmates however he… read analysis of Captain Cowlick

Roscoe Conkling “R.C.” Crowley

R.C. Crowley is a wealthy Fort Beulah banker who supports Buzz Windrip because he thinks that Windrip will give the banks more power. Ironically, most of Windrip’s supporters think the exact opposite, but Crowley turns… read analysis of Roscoe Conkling “R.C.” Crowley

Aras Dilley

Aras Dilley is a poor dairy farmer who later becomes a Squad Leader in the Minute Men. Like many down-and-out Americans, Dilley initially supports Buzz Windrip because he thinks that Windrip will personally make… read analysis of Aras Dilley

Herbert Y. Edgeways

Herbert Y. Edgeways is the belligerent retired general who speaks to the Fort Beulah Rotary Club in the novel’s opening scene. He boldly calls for the U.S. to expand its power and conquer the whole… read analysis of Herbert Y. Edgeways

Joe Elphrey

Joe Elphrey is a Communist Party activist who, ironically enough, is also a millionaire economist and the son of a prominent banker. He goes by the pseudonym “Mr. Cailey,” and he eventually gets kicked out… read analysis of Joe Elphrey

The Rev. Mr. Falck

The Reverend Mr. Falck is an Episcopal minister in Fort Beulah. He is elderly, highly educated, and well-respected as a community leader. Along with Doremus Jessup, Buck Titus, and Father Perefixe, he… read analysis of The Rev. Mr. Falck

Julian Falck

Julian Falck, Sissy Jessup’s boyfriend, is a handsome, intellectual college student who grew up in the care of his grandfather, the Rev. Mr. Falck, in Fort Beulah. He is reliable, affectionate, and sincere… read analysis of Julian Falck

Adelaide Tarr Gimmitch

Mrs. Adelaide Tarr Gimmitch is a conservative activist and extreme nationalist who believes that traditional American values are under threat and ought to be imposed on the country by any means necessary—including a Windrip dictatorship… read analysis of Adelaide Tarr Gimmitch

David Greenhill

David is Fowler and Mary Greenhill’s son, who is eight years old at the beginning of the novel. Even thought the Windrip administration murders his father, David falls victim to its propaganda: he starts… read analysis of David Greenhill

Dr. Fowler Greenhill

Fowler Greenhill is a doctor who runs the main clinic in Fort Beulah along with Dr. Olmsted. He is married to Doremus Jessup’s daughter Mary, and he is the father of Jessup’s… read analysis of Dr. Fowler Greenhill

Mary Greenhill/Jessup

Mary is the second of Doremus and Emma Jessup’s three children. Athletic, savvy, and stylish, she is married to the prominent doctor Fowler Greenhill. They have one son, David. But she is… read analysis of Mary Greenhill/Jessup

Dewey Haik

Colonel Dewey Haik is a cold-blooded, homicidal congressman and soldier who belongs to Buzz Windrip’s inner circle. He nominates Windrip at the Democratic Convention, campaigns for him in unusual places around the U.S., and… read analysis of Dewey Haik

Otis “Doc” Itchitt

“Doc” Itchitt is an earnest, wily young reporter who works for Doremus Jessup at the Daily Informer. He secretly opposes Windrip and the Corpo government, but he chooses to distance himself from Jessup, obey… read analysis of Otis “Doc” Itchitt

Emma Jessup

Emma Jessup is Doremus Jessup’s wife. They met in high school, and after three children and several decades of stable marriage, they love one another but often fail to see eye-to-eye. In many ways… read analysis of Emma Jessup

Philip Jessup

Philip Jessup, Doremus and Emma Jessup’s eldest son, is a successful lawyer who lives in Worcester, Massachusetts. Unlike his father and his siblings Mary and Sissy, Philip staunchly supports Buzz Windrip, whom… read analysis of Philip Jessup

Cecilia “Sissy” Jessup

Sissy Jessup is Doremus and Emma Jessup’s youngest daughter. She is in high school at the beginning of the book, as she is just 18 years old—far younger than her siblings Mary (who is… read analysis of Cecilia “Sissy” Jessup

Loren Jessup

Loren Jessup was Doremus Jessup’s father. A Universalist pastor, he lived an austere life so that Doremus could afford to go to college. Loren’s only luxury was the complete illustrated set of Dickens’s novels… read analysis of Loren Jessup

Harry Kindermann

Harry Kindermann is a Jewish maple, dairy, and machinery trader in Fort Beulah. Kindermann makes a comfortable living until Windrip’s election—but then, he loses all his contracts and the government takes away all his… read analysis of Harry Kindermann

Oscar “Shad” Ledue

Shad Ledue is Doremus Jessup’s lazy, incompetent, and bitter handyman, who becomes a devoted Windrip supporter and Minute Man during the campaign. The Windrip administration rewards him with a job as County Commissioner for… read analysis of Oscar “Shad” Ledue

Clarence/Clifford Little

Little is a successful jeweler in Fort Beulah. He never went to college but always dreamed of it, so for a time, he pays Victor Loveland for private Greek lessons. But after a Minute Man… read analysis of Clarence/Clifford Little

Victor Loveland

Victor Loveland is a Classics professor at Isaiah College, near Fort Beulah, who gets fired from his job for criticizing the government. He eventually ends up as a teacher in a labor camp, a clerk… read analysis of Victor Loveland

Osceola Luthorne

“Colonel” Osceola Luthorne is a Kansas magazine editor and real estate agent who joins Buzz Windrip’s campaign team from the very beginning and eventually becomes Windrip’s Secretary of War. He is not a real… read analysis of Osceola Luthorne

Dr. Hector Macgoblin

Hector Macgoblin is a prominent surgeon who campaigns for Buzz Windrip and later becomes his Secretary of Education, Culture, and Public Relations. He sets out to reform the nation’s education system by firing disloyal teachers… read analysis of Dr. Hector Macgoblin

Mr. Nipper

Mr. Nipper is Lorinda Pike’s smug business partner at the Beulah Valley Tavern. Nipper and Pike invest equal amounts of money in the Tavern, but unlike Pike, Nipper does no work to maintain the… read analysis of Mr. Nipper

Dr. Marcus Olmsted

Dr. Olmsted is an elderly but capable doctor who runs Fort Beulah’s main medical practice with Fowler Greenhill. After Judge Swan orders Greenhill’s execution, Olmsted joins the New Underground and hires Julian Falck as… read analysis of Dr. Marcus Olmsted

Karl Pascal

Karl Pascal is a communist mechanic and labor union organizer who works at John Pollikop’s garage. Pollikop and Pascal constantly debate whether socialism or communism will solve the world’s woes. Pascal also frequently tries… read analysis of Karl Pascal

Father Stephen Perefixe

Father Perefixe is a young Roman Catholic priest from Canada who lives and preaches in Fort Beulah. Like his close friends Doremus Jessup, Buck Titus, and Mr. Falck, Perefixe opposes Windrip from… read analysis of Father Stephen Perefixe

Lorinda Pike

Lorinda Pike is a spirited young widow who runs the Beulah Valley Tavern near town. While she has a poor reputation in town because of her marital status, she is one of Doremus Jessup and… read analysis of Lorinda Pike

John Pollikop

John Pollikop is a good-humored, outspoken Polish socialist who runs an auto repair shop in Fort Beulah. He is almost always engaged in a friendly debate with his employee, the communist Karl Pascal. Later… read analysis of John Pollikop

Bishop Paul Peter Prang

Bishop Prang is a popular Methodist Episcopal minister and radio host, modeled on the real-life fascist personality Father Charles Coughlin, whose weekly broadcast commands an enormous nationwide audience. Fickle and belligerent, Prang uses his… read analysis of Bishop Paul Peter Prang

John Sullivan Reek

John Sullivan Reek is the stodgy career politician, yes-man, and ex-governor who becomes the Commissioner of District Three in the Northeastern Province. He implements Windrip and Dewey Haik’s agenda by censoring journalists, opening the… read analysis of John Sullivan Reek

Louis Rotenstern

Louis Rotenstern is a jingoistic Fort Beulah tailor who tries to distance himself from his Polish Jewish ancestry by passionately supporting Windrip and attacking minority groups (including his fellow Jewish people). He suffers from the… read analysis of Louis Rotenstern

Lee Sarason

Lee Sarason is Buzz Windrip’s campaign manager, Secretary of State, and closest friend. He writes Windrip’s campaign songs and autobiography, Zero Hour, and then essentially runs the government from behind the scenes, since… read analysis of Lee Sarason

Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair was a real-life writer and activist who became famous for depicting poverty and exposing corruption in the early 20th century U.S. He ran for Governor of California on an anti-poverty platform in 1934… read analysis of Upton Sinclair

“Professor” Emil Staubmeyer

Emil Staubmeyer, who falsely claims to be a professor, is the superintendent of schools in Fort Beulah (at the beginning of the novel) and Shad Ledue’s assistant (during the Windrip administration). Later, Judge Swan… read analysis of “Professor” Emil Staubmeyer

Effingham Swan

Effingham Swan is a rich, arrogant banker and Corpo military judge who sentences countless people to deaths and incarceration at Trianon, usually for completely arbitrary reasons. Most importantly, he orders Dr. Fowler Greenhill’s… read analysis of Effingham Swan

Francis Tasbrough

Francis Tasbrough, owner of the local quarry, is the wealthiest man in Fort Beulah. Even though he repeatedly claims that “it [fascism] can’t happen here in America,” he enthusiastically supports Buzz Windrip and… read analysis of Francis Tasbrough

Buck Titus

James Buck Titus, Doremus Jessup’s closest friend, is a tough, worldly 50-year-old farmer from Fort Beulah who spent several years as a cattle-rancher, prospector, and horse-breeder in Montana. During the Windrip administration, Titus runs… read analysis of Buck Titus

Walt Trowbridge

Walt Trowbridge is the Republican politician who loses to Buzz Windrip in the 1936 election, then escapes to Canada and starts the New Underground. While Windrip’s campaign is exciting and emotional, Trowbridge’s is tame… read analysis of Walt Trowbridge

Henry Veeder

Henry Veeder, Doremus Jessup’s cousin, is an ordinary country farmer. Even though he doesn’t care about politics, he lands in trouble when the government decides to move several families into his house, and he… read analysis of Henry Veeder

Dan Wilgus

Dan Wilgus is the compositor (head typesetter) at the Daily Informer. After joining the New Underground, he steals an old printing press and movable type from the Informer offices, then uses them to print… read analysis of Dan Wilgus

Minor Characters

Perley Beecroft

Perley Beecroft is the Southern planter and ex-governor whom Buzz Windrip chooses as his vice president because he is posh and unthreatening. When Windrip starts to feud with Lee Sarason, Beecroft quits the vice presidency, joins Walt Trowbridge’s resistance in Montreal, and befriends Doremus Jessup.

Medary Cole

Medary Cole is a Fort Beulah miller and the president of the local Rotary Club. A pitiful conformist, he enthusiastically supports Buzz Windrip because everyone around him does, too.

Emmanuel Coon

Emmanuel Coon is the major general who Buzz Windrip appoints as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Coon is a true believer in Windrip, so after Lee Sarason overthrows the government, he turns against the government and leads an organized military rebellion from Minnesota.

Mr. Dimick

“Mr. Dimick” is the alter ego of the spy who recruits Doremus Jessup into the New Underground and helps coordinate the Fort Beulah cell’s activities with the leadership in Montreal.

The Ensign

The Ensign is a cruel Minute Man who arrests Doremus Jessup and takes him to the Trianon concentration camp.

Foolish

Foolish is the Jessup family’s loyal mutt.

Mungo Kitterick

Mungo Kitterick is Doremus Jessup’s lawyer. When recommending his services to Lorinda Pike, Jessup describes him as meticulous but unintelligent. He eventually joins the New Underground.

Owen J. Peaseley

Owen J. Peaseley is the cowardly president of Isaiah College, and later the Director of Education and head of the book-burning committee for John Sullivan Reek’s district government.

Senator Porkwood

Senator Porkwood is a loyal member of Buzz Windrip’s inner circle, and later his Attorney General. Porkwood is a boring, respected liberal, and his participation gives Windrip’s campaign an air of legitimacy.

Raymond Pridewell

Raymond Pridewell is a grouchy, prudent Fort Beulah hardware dealer who loses his shop and gets imprisoned at Trianon after personally insulting Shad Ledue.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

The actual U.S. president in 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt, loses the Democratic nomination to Buzz Windrip in It Can’t Happen Here and runs for reelection as an independent instead. He loses, and after the inauguration, Windrip offers him the ambassadorship to Liberia as a practical joke.

Willy Schmidt

Willy Schmidt is a respected biologist who Hector Macgoblin decides to visit one evening—and then murders in a drunken rage, along with the Rabbi Vincent de Verez.

Webster R. Skittle

Webster R. Skittle is the corrupt banker who Buzz Windrip appoints as Secretary of the Treasury.

Ensign Stoyt

Stoyt is a young, sadistic Minute Men squad leader at the Trianon concentration camp. He embodies the Windrip administration’s cruel spirit because he enjoys treating the prisoners as violently as possible—for instance, he takes delight in executing Henry Veeder and attacking the elderly Rev. Mr. Flack.

Malcolm Tasbrough

Francis Tasbrough’s arrogant son Malcolm is one of Sissy Jessup’s two love interests, along with Julian Falck. However, Sissy stops seeing Malcolm after he becomes a fervent Windrip supporter and joins the Minute Men.

Alfred “Snake” Tizra

“Snake” Tizra is a vicious gangster, truck driver, and friend of Shad Ledue who joins the Minute Men and eventually becomes the Trianon concentration camp’s superintendent. He is far crueler than his predecessor, Captain Cowlick.

Rabbi Vincent de Verez

Vincent de Verez is the respected scholar, Rabbi, and Jewish community leader who Hector Macgoblin murders in New York, along with Willy Schmidt.

Pete Vutong

Pete Vutong is a poor French Canadian farmer who joins the New Underground in Fort Beulah.

Truman Webb

Truman Webb is a farmer who helps run the Fort Beulah New Underground out of his old farmhouse. His abolitionist grandfather helped people escape slavery in the same house, as part of the original Underground Railroad. He ends up in the Trianon camp with Doremus Jessup.

It Can’t Happen Here Characters