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UNIVrRSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN GUIDE TO THE PAPERS IN THE JOHN HUNTER WALKER COLLECTION 1911-1953 Douglas W. Carlson Lois ri. Pausch Margaret W. Robertson October, 1978 3-:, TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface (acknowledgments - to be included) Introduction Biographical Sketch Organizational Statement Container List Chronological Summary of the Correspondence Index INTRODUCTION John Hunter Walker was a prominent Illinois labor leader from the 1890s to the 1930s. He was a key figure in both the Illinois State Federation of Labor and the United Mine Workers of America, and his career touched many aspects of the develop- ing labor movement in America. His papers, housed in the Illi- nois Historical Survey Library, constitute an important source for the study of American labor history. The scope of the papers and their proven value for scholarly research justify undertaking the present guide in order to increase their visibility and accessibility. A brief introduction to the various components of the guide will facilitate their use. The biographical sketch provides a summary of Walker's life, emphasizing that portion of his career reflected in the papers (1911-1945) . The organizational statement explains the acquisition of the collection, how and why it was reorganized, and the types of material found in each section. Specific identification of the materials in each section is provided by the container list which is a de- tailed outline of the collection giving inclusive folder numbers for each segment. For the section of general correspondence, the container list provides the folder numbers for each year of correspondence. The chronological summaries are brief synopses of the issues or events discussed in the correspondence. The bulk of the letters fall between the years 1916 and 1929 and are suimnarized annually; those before 1916 and after 1934 are suminarized more briefly. The organizational correspondence of both the Reorganized United Mine Worker of America (1930-31), and District 12, UMVJA (1931-33) are included in the summaries as distinct units. The chronological summaries are not comprehensive; they are intended to assist the researcher in determining the major issues or events which were discussed. The final, and largest section of the guide is the name index which includes all personal and corporate names in the correspondence. Names are recorded in the form used by the author of the letter. Where possible, full names have been provided by the use of reference sources. In these instances, brackets enclose the additional information, e.g., Abt, E[rnest] J[ulius]. Where nicknames have been used extensively, they are included in parentheses and quotation marks following the name. Variant spellings of the same name are also included in the index. In order to connect key individuals with corporations, and secretaries with those for whom they worked, these names have been indexed and cross referenced. The index gives the file number and the item number of each letter within the file. The file number is underlined; item numbers are in parentheses. The correspondence, including the general correspondence and the organizational correspondence in sections II and III, constitutes more than half of the papers in the Walker collection, and in terms of research, is its most important component. Coordinated use of the name index, the chronological summaries, and the container list will allow the researcher to identify the correspondents, the time period in which the correspondence occurred, and the major issues discussed. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH John Hunter Walker, a Scottish immigrant to the United States, began work in the coal mines at an early age and rose in the ranks to become one of Illinois' foremost labor leaders from the turn of the twentieth century to the Depression. Although he remained intensely proud of his Scottish heritage, Walker developed a deep affinity for his adopted country and its ideals. As a spokesman for labor, he encountered hostility from segments of American society which opposed unions, yet Walker praised the freedom and opportunity America afforded its citi- zens. For a time he was a member of the Socialist party, yet he wholeheartedly endorsed American entry into World War I. He was an advocate of significant economic reform, but always in the context of America as a land of opportunity for the common man. Walker was a man of idealism and passion, moved by concern for the laborer. His ability to communicate his concern contributed to his widespread popularity among workers. Walker viewed people as either his friends or enemies, and issues as either right or wrong, often attributing sinister motives to those who opposed him or the views he advocated. Walker's role in the United Mine Workers of America, the largest union in the country, and in the Illinois State Federation of Labor, one of the largest state federations, placed him in the center of union activity during a key period of labor union organization. To understand Walker, his goals, and the successes and failures of his career is to understand much of the organization and development of the miners' union as well as early twentieth-century unionism generally. VJalker was born in Binnie Hill, Stirlingshire, Scotland in 1872, the first of eight children. Men from the families of both his parents had worked in the textile mills and coal mines, and had participated in the organization of the Scottish miners' union and the cooperative movement. In 1881, when Walker was nine years old, his family emigrated to the United States, settling in Braidwood, Illinois. The next year, having finished the fourth grade. Walker began working in the coal mines. In the next ten years, he gained the experience as a miner which qualified him to become a spokesman for the interests of coal miners. Following his father's blacklisting in Illinois because of his union activity, the family moved to the Oklahoma Indian Territory for a time, where John and his father worked in the mines. John joined early union organizations such as the Ameri- can Miners' Federation, the Mine Laborers, and the Knights of Labor. His own leadership abilities surfaced in the 1890s when he began organizing local unions for the newly-formed United Mine Workers of America. In 1896, he organized Local 505 in Central City, Illinois. The next year he was assigned as an organizer to work in southern Illinois and West Virginia with John Mitchell and Mary "Mother" Jones, both of whom became his life-long friends. In 1898, he represented Local 505 at the District 12 (Illinois) convention at which the first agreement between coal operators and miners in Illinois was reached. After 1900, Walker was elected to various District 12 offices, including the District 12 presidency which he held from 1905 to 1913. District 12 was the largest district in the UMWA, and it prospered under Walker's leadership. He oversaw the passage of several important mining laws in the Illinois legislature, including the Shot Firers Law, the Miners Qualification Law, and the Mine Rescue Station Law. The accident rate in coal mining was high, and every year thousands of men were disabled or killed. These laws represented important steps in state regulation of the mining industry for the safety of miners. In addition to improvement in mining conditions, wages in District 12 during the years of Walker's presidency were as good as or better than in any other district. Under the policy originally established by UMWA president John Mitchell, each district managed its own affairs and won its own contracts. Illinois miners profited by this policy since District 12 was the best organized district in the coal fields. Throughout his career. Walker advocated district autonomy, which later brought him into conflict with national leaders who sought to central- ize the union. In 1908, Walker ran for the presidency of the UMWA hoping to succeed his friend John Mitchell. In this, the first of three presidential campaigns. Walker was not known well enough outside of Illinois to win. In 1908, Walker brought the Illinois miners into the Illinois State Federation of Labor (ISFL) , a move which strengthened the state federation, and, at the same time, made the miners the largest contingent. In 1913, Walker was elected president of the state federation, a position which he held, with one interruption, until 1930. Although Walker maintained his interest and participation in the miners' union, as state federation president he broadened his concern to include all laborers. One example was Walker's support of the consumers' cooperative movement. The cooperative movement was intended to reduce prices workingmen would have to pay for goods, to educate workers in trade union principles, and to promote union-label products. In addition, union men hoped that the cooperative movement would foster solidarity between farmers and laborers. When a state cooperative society was formed in Illinois in 1915, Walker was elected its president. He and the state federation enthusiastically endorsed the movement for six years until it foundered following World War I. The cooperative movement was one of several largely unsuccessful attempts to instill in farmers and laborers a sense of common interest against those who exploited them. The Socialist party was another movement with which Walker identified. He was a moderate Socialist, however, and the positions he took during the eventful years of World War I caused his expulsion from the party. The specific cause was his endorsement in 1916 of the re-election of President Woodrow Wilson and Illinois Governor Edward Dunne over Socialist party- candidates. Walker's activities following American entry into the war indicated that his sympathies were somewhat at odds with the Socialist party. Under his leadership, the ISFL joined the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in pledging labor's support for the war effort, and Walker was active in efforts to minimize domestic economic disruption through labor unrest during the war.

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