John Hovan collection (Ms. 2010.018)

Biographical note

John George Hovan was a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a group of American volunteers who fought against fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War. After fighting in the Spanish Civil War, and then later, in World War II, Hovan returned to America where settled in Rhode Island and held a variety of jobs. He was questioned in front of congress as a part of McCarthy-era red-scare hysteria for his participation in the Spanish Civil War. As one of the last surviving Americans who fought with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, John Hovan signed his honorific Spanish Citizenship papers on July 9, 2009.