Wonder what kind of contest this was?












www.myrailroadwatch.com

Tom, maybe he was the first to end the year.

Nice! Love watches with award inscriptions.

E.F. Matzka was awarded this fine watch for pulling a box car 1,345 feet with his teeth. This was over 600 feet more than his nearest competitor, Fredrick "Jaws" McNutt.

William

I am trying to hold myself back from purchasing this watch. I have bought a few pocket watches from Tom Dunn and always had a very successful experience with him and his excellent pocket watches. I highly recommend him to everyone in this forum.

Thank you, Michael. Appreciate the kind words.

I too have made many good purchases of pocket watches from Tom over the years, even before he joined us here on IHC-185, and I have never been disappointed with the pocket watches I have received from him.

Tom, I searched through my volume of 1937 The Railroad Trainman, but could not find anything on the prizewinner for the end of the year contest, I will keep looking and hope to find the name, and what Lodge, he belonged to.

I would like to talk a little about the history of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, they were organized on September 23, 1883 in Oneonta, New York, by eight conductors and trainmen who met secretly in a Delaware and Hudson caboose. This was 20 years after the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in 1863, 15 years after the Order of Railway Conductors in 1868, and 10 years after the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen in 1873, they became the last of the "Big Four" railroad operating brotherhoods, the fledgling union received lots of support, and financial assistance, from Eugene Victor Debs, the Grand Secretary Treasurer of the B of LF, he had also saved that organization from bankruptcy, when his predecessor, an embezzler made off with all the treasury funds.

In his honor the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakeman of the United States was chartered as E.V. Debs Lodge No. 1. This changed when Eugene Victor Debs started the American Railway Union, in 1893, this was one of the first industrial unions that represented all railroad workers from the clerks, to the track workers, and he was successful in getting a contract for all the workers on the Great Northern Railway that was owned and operated by JJ Hill, scores of B of LE, B of LF, B of RT, and ORC members flocked to join this new union, this scared railroad management, and the Brotherhood craft unions, who are losing members rapidly, George Mortimer Pullman, who made a fortune from his Pullman Sleeping Cars Services that he provided to all the railroads. He had a factory in Pullman a suburb of Chicago, where he had built a community with clean housing, churches, libraries, and auditoriums a virtual workers paradise, but unfortunately for the workers living in this the paternalistic utopia where literally starving to death, due to wage cuts because of the depression at that time. The Pullman works was serviced by a railway, and the workers joined the American Railway Union, and they went on strike in the summer of 1894, boycotting Pullman cars and tying up the railways in Chicago. It became known in the media as the "Debs Rebellion" the railroad owners had an ally in the federal government, a former railroad attorney, Richard Olney the United States Governor General, who served under Democratic President Grover Cleveland, he attempted to end the strike by injunctions, this did not work, so he went to Grover Cleveland and said that the Federal mail were not going through, this was a lie as the strikers only boycotted Pullman coaches, finally under the protest of Illinois Governor John Altgeld, Grover Cleveland sent in the National Guard, Eugene Debs and the ARU union leadership were arrested on trumped up charges. Clarence Darrow represented Eugene Debs, and was successful in getting the charges dismissed, the American Railway Union was finished. The B of RT changed Lodge1's name from E.V. Debs to Daniel Hopkins in 1894.

Between 1883 and 1885. There was five Grand Masters of the Brotherhood. They were George E. Hudson, Charles J. Woodworth, James E. Grimes, W.J, Barnett and Eugene McCarthy between 1885, and 1895. Stephen E. Wilkinson from Peoria Illinois served as Grand Master, and in 1890, it was decided to change the name of the organizers, this was due to the influx of Switchmen, Freight Conductors, Switchtenders, Baggagemen and Yard Masters who had joined, the name Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen was changed to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. In 1895, Paul H. Morrison became the Grand Master and held the position until 1908, the last Grand Master was William Grenville Lee, who became the first President in 1909, and served in this capacity until 1928

Publications; Railroad Brakeman's Journal 1887, Railroad Trainman's Journal 1890, The Railroad Trainman 1924-1949.

Attachment; John Slattery's membership card in Eugene V. Debs Lodge 1, Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen in 1884, at Oneonta, New York

Eugene Victor Debs signed Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen 1891 traveling card from Smokey City Lodge 213.

American Railway Union Membership Card 1893-1894. frontside, signed by Sec. Sylvester Keliher had left the Railway Carmen of America to take this position.

The American Railway Union Membership Card forJM Rector,a ticket clerk on the Michigan Central Railroad.

A comic caricature of "King Debs" from the Cover of the July 16, 1894 Issue of New York's Harpers Weekly during the Pullman strike showing Eugene V Debs, wearing a crown, and sitting on top of a opened Railway swing bridge, with all the embargoed trains in Chicago

United States Governor General 1893-1895. Richard Olney

Picture Portrait of Eugene Victor Debs 1897

The potential for customers was not lost to clever Webster C Ball, who on May 14, 1894, applied for Patent No. 24,711 an "A.R.U. Standard" trademark for pocket watches, and portable clocks, if the union survived he was ready with this patent to have made pocket watches for the employees of this new industrial union.

Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen of the United States. Delegates In Attendance At The First Annual Convention, held at Oneonta, N.Y., October 20th, 1884

Stephen E. Wilkinson biography

He was known throughout the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainman, from the present Grand Master to the lowest yard worker, as "The Old Man." So when word unexpectedly arrived at the Trainmen headquarters in Cleveland that "The Old Man," S.E. Wilkinson was dead, it was a shock.

Wilkinson died suddenly on February 14, 1901 in New York City. "From the effect of pneumonia." With no family, his friends in the Brotherhood and the grand Army of the Republic "promptly and efficiently." Came forward to arrange the burial. An officer from the Trainmen went to New York to accompany the body back to Galesburg. His wife had died. Here four years earlier and was buried in Hope Cemetery.

Galesburg would be Stephen E Wilkinson's final resting place, but for over 10 years. The city was his home. Wilkinson came to Galesburg in December 1885, when the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakeman move the fledgling labor organization headquarters here. His rise to prominence and to the top of the Brotherhood was meteoric.

Nationally, the Brakemen organized at Oneonta, New York on September 23, 1883. Wilkinson was a charter member and First Master of Lodge No. 27, which organized in Peoria on August 16, 1884. In October 1884, he was a delegate to the first annual convention. On July 10, 1885, Wilkinson was appointed to fill the vacated position of Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen, that October, when the Brakemen held their second annual convention in Burlington, Iowa, Wilkinson was elected Grand Master, a position he would hold until he resigned on August 1, 1895.

Born in Monroeville, Ohio on December 16, 1850, the family moved to Champaign County, Illinois, or Stephen spent his boyhood. Wilkinson obtained a limited education due to the long spells spent dodging school to be "among the railroad boys." In June 1864, at age thirteen and a half Wilkinson ran away and enlisted in the 135th, Illinois Voluntary Infantry.

A three-month regiment, The 135th served in Missouri guarding various parts on several railroads from Rebel guerrillas and raiders. Stephen mustered out of service at Mattoon on September 28, 1864. On February 8, 1865, he reenlisted in a six-month regiment, the 154th Illinois Infantry, and was sent to Nashville, Tennessee. At national Stephen served for five months as an orderly to General George H Thomas. The regiment mustered out and Stephen was discharged on September 18, 1865.

With the war over in three months shy of his 15th birthday, Stephen. "Gave free event to the us inclination for railroading, and entered the service of the I.B. & W. as a switchman…." Eventually he became a passenger brakemen on the same line.

In the next two decades, with the exception of the short time spent performing in Nebraska, Wilkinson worked in various positions with the number of railroads in the Midwest. When he took over his head of the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen, Wilkinson was employed at the Peoria and Pekin Union Yards in Peoria, Illinois. The Peoria Journal described him as "a large and portly man, and the familiar figure around the city…". While in Peoria, Wilkinson took an active interest in the railroad section of the local Y.M.C.A..

The task facing Wilkinson in July 1885, was formidable. Railroad brakemen were eager to have a brotherhood like the engineers and firemen, and between October 1884 and October 1885, the organization grew from 39 lodges and 900 members to 160 lodges and 4500 members. But in the move from Oneonta to Chicago. "The treasury had been looted," leaving the organization without funds. By the time the Brakemen took up residence in the Union Hotel block in Galesburg, their debts were paid. But the job of building an organization was was at hand, and Wilkinson pitched in to see it done. As Grand Master, much of his time was spent in "travel in the interest of the order."

The original organizers saw the Brotherhood as a death-and-disability fraternity, and their model was: "Benevolence, Sobriety, and Industry." With a goal of uniting the railroad brakemen, "to promote their general welfare and advance their interests -- social, moral, and intellectual; to protect their families, by the exercise of a systematic benevolence, very needful in the calling so hazardous as ours," the Brotherhood was formed. Even as the Brakemen moved to an economic trade union this aspect was not lost -- 19th century braking was a dangerous operation.

Beside organizing and taking their message throughout the United States and Canada, the Brotherhood published a successful periodical, the Railroad Brakemen's Journal. Printed in Galesburg by The Brotherhood Steam Printers, a union publishing house owned and controlled by the Brakemen. In 1887, circulation stood at eight thousand copies a month. Each issue delineated claims paid by name and amount, while all new deaths and injuries were listed showing name, date of accident, and cause.

Years later, and obituaries, Galesburg newspapers described Wilkinson as possessing "a strong and aggressive personality" and said he "exercise their wives influence over the railroad men," and "in the large room. He always spoke for the better things." In 1890, under his leadership, the Brotherhood expanded to include "such diverse railroad workers as conductors, brakemen, roadmen, yardmen, dining cars, stewards, yardmaster's, switch tenders, and baggage," becoming the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Wilkinson's Brotherhood was "now the strongest organization in train service," and he used his power cautiously.

From the beginning, Wilkinson opposed strakes and favored arbitration in resolving disputes. The organization's preamble stated clearly that they would constantly endeavored to "create and maintain harmonious relations" with the nation's railroad companies. As The Chicago Times Herald wrote:"…it was due largely to his conservative influence that the members of the organization. He represented did not engage in the celebrated Burlington strike."

Seen as conservative in his dealings with the railroads, Wilkinson was still amongst the first to negotiate contracts for employees. The Galesburg Daily Republican Register in September 1906, reported that Wilkinson's early agreements with the railroad companies. "Have been the basis for settlement since that time."

Ironic as it may be, the Pullman Strike of 1894 brought Wilkinson's downfall. The national wide turmoil from the strike cost the Trainmen 9000 members. Some are expelled for supporting the boycott, while others lost their jobs from the economic downturn of the 1890s. May 1895, dissatisfaction with Wilkinson's leadership was an issue. The Galesburg Daily Mail reported that: "Among the delegates, it was learned that there was a widespread feeling that Mr. Wilkinson had been outgrown and that the position should seek a man of larger caliber." Wilkinson told a Mail reporter that he would offer his resignation to the convention, "taking this action, with the best interests of the brotherhood in his heart." He further commented: "The organization was greater than he, and he would not be thought standing in the light of progress." The convention accepted Wilkinson's resignation.

Wilkinson ended up working for the immigration service at Ellis Island. He received the position from another former labor leader, Terrence Powderly, of the Knights of Labor, who had been appointed commissioner-general of immigration by Pres. McKinley.

On Sunday, September 23, 1906, the officers of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, along with current and former will save gathered at Linwood Cemetery to dedicate a memorial to Stephen E Wilkinson. That afternoon Wilkinson was eulogized. He was remembered along with Ed O'Shea, Grand Secretary and Treasurer, for "nursing back to life the infant order that has been a monument to them…."

Grand Master P.H. Morrissey told those gathered: "He came to the order in a trying period. There was an evident lack of confidence." Morrissey explains that Wilkinson "set about to build it up, determined that it could be done, and accomplish the greatest series of successes ever recorded. He assumed the cares and did more than any other one man ever did to establish it in the proposition it now occupies."

Morrissey further praised Wilkinson by citing: "The wage agreement and the betterment in in the working conditions of the men were arranged under his regime." And Morrissey continued: "he was a pioneer in the theory of applying reason and the liberation in the settlement of differences rather than by the use of passion and force. He was greatly misunderstood in the railway world on this account but can't to his convictions."

The monument bears a plaque with this inscription: erected by the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen to the memory of Steve E. Wilkinson, who as a member and officer, materially assist in improving the economic conditions of the employees of the railway service in the United States and Canada. He was among the pioneers of the railway labor organization, and, as such, he contributed his full measure toward the betterment of his fellow men. The sterling qualities that distinguished him among men, and the sincere gratitude for his endeavor in behalf of the order he loved, will perpetuate his memory in the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen."

Good info, Larry!

All we know for sure on this one was it was purchased for a giveaway by the Brotherhood.
Obviously, in 1937, there wasn't a much better railroad timepiece than this one.

I think I have it fairly priced on the website at $1795, especially with the brotherhood award on back, but if someone would like to make a fair offer I would certainly entertain it.

What I CAN tell you it sure looks original, has all the correct parts on it, and is in good running order. I'd like for this to go to someone who appreciates just how special this one is.

Again, thanks for the history!

Thanks Tom, your Hamilton 950E in the "Mainliner" case is a beauty! I will post some more information tomorrow on this topic, so check back later.

Larry

The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Grand Master Stephen E. Wilkinson was succeeded by Patrick Henry Morrison, I found is Labor Biography

Patrick Henry Morrissey of Galesburg: Teddy Roosevelt’s favorite labor leader

by Phil Reyburn

On this, the last day of November 1916, mourners filed into Corpus Christi Church to pay their respects to Patrick Henry Morrissey. Galesburg’s leading citizen had died two days earlier. Friends and relatives of the deceased had traveled from across the country "to be present at the last rites for one who had been the friend and servant of all whom his life brought him in contact." Railroad officials and employees throughout the United States came, while "messages of sympathy and condolence were received from hundreds of others …"

On reporting Morrissey’s death the Evening Mail wrote: " …Galesburg is deprived of one of her most widely known citizens, a man who shared illustriously in the big affairs of the world and who has performed his duties with great credit to himself and his cause." While the rival Daily Republican informed its readers that Morrissey was "known as one of the most influential of American labor leaders." The Daily Republican further added: "His career is a remarkable demonstration of ability and pluck. From call boy in a railroad shop to the associate of presidents is a far cry, but Mr. Morrissey bridged the gap." The Evening Mail stated that during his life, Morrissey, the former Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, "was the faithful servant of all classes …"

John and Mary Morrissey emigrated from Ireland in 1856, settling in Bloomington, Ill. Six years later, on September 11, 1862, Patrick Henry Morrissey was born. Like many Irish immigrants, John Morrissey took employment with a railroad ñ rising to section foreman on the Chicago and Alton Road.

A bright young man, Patrick Henry graduated with honors from Bloomington High School in 1878. While in school, Morrissey worked part-time and during vacations as a call-boy in the Bloomington shops of the Chicago and Alton Railroad. But on finishing school, he ventured to Chicago, finding work with a grocer. Patrick returned home in 1880 and entered into full-time employment as a clerk for the roundhouse foreman for the Chicago and Alton Line. A year later he became a passenger brakeman, then worked as a freight brakeman and freight conductor.

While Morrissey labored on railroad cars in Illinois, eight brakemen employed by the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad met secretly in a caboose in Oneonta, N. Y. with a plan to organize an association to pay death and disability payments to members. The June meeting succeeded beyond expectation. Membership in the fledgling Brotherhood took off and shortly every railroad worker in the country was aware of its existence and purpose. On September 23, 1883, a national body was created. The Order established its aims and objectives in their preamble. It reads as follows:

"To unite the Railroad Brakemen; to promote their general welfare ൐; and advance their interests ñ social, moral, and intellectual; to protect their families by the exercise of a systematic benevolence, very needful in a calling so hazardous as ours, this fraternity has been organized.

Persuaded that it is for the interests both of our members and their employers, that a good understanding should at all times exist between the two, it will be the constant endeavor of this organization to establish mutual confidence, and create and maintain harmonious relations."

In 1884, the Grand Lodge office moved to Chicago. The following October a convention of the Brotherhood assembled in Burlington, Iowa, and once more the Grand Lodged relocated, this time to Galesburg, Ill. The Brotherhood now numbered 160 lodges with 4,500 members. One of these was P. H. Morrissey. In November 1885, Morrissey left his railroad job and became a clerk to Edward F. O’Shea Grand Secretary and Treasurer of the Brotherhood.

Galesburg Lodge No. 24 of the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakeman organized on August 11, 1884. In the early days of the Brotherhood, "Galesburg men put great effort and energy into the movement." Ed O’Shea was a charter member of the local lodge.ሼth the move to Galesburg, O’Shea also took over as editor and manager of the Railroad Brakeman’s Journal, the Brotherhood’s official organ.

Colville’s Galesburg Directory (1887-88) states: "Employed in the general offices as assistants are Messrs. W. A. Sheahan, P. H. Morrissey and James Fitzgerald. These gentleman came here with the Brotherhood and are now worthy citizens of Galesburg." Morrissey initially boarded at 48 N. Chambers St., but his bachelor days ended when he married a local girl, Anna Brechwald, on October 5, 1887. Eventually the couple moved to 587 N. Academy St., where they raised three children.

After three years with the Grand Lodge, Morrissey returned to the brakeman’s wheel with his old employer, the Chicago and Alton Railroad. Even though he was absent from the general offices, Morrissey had made a name for himself within the Brotherhood. On three occasions he had been the recording clerk at the national convention. Having attained substantial standing within the Brotherhood, Morrissey was elected First Vice Grand Master at the 1890 gathering in St. Paul, Minn.

The St. Paul convention ushered in a major change for the Brotherhood. No longer would it be an organization of brakemen. It would now organize and include roadmen, flagmen, switchmen, yardmen, yardmasters, conductors, dining car stewards, and baggagemen. Thus their name changed to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.

During the first six years of its existence, the Brakemen paid out $500,000 in claims to the survivors of dead and totally disabled members. Membership increased to 15,000 men in 310 lodges. However by 1890, still holding to its motto of "Benevolence, Sobriety and Industry," the Brotherhood was evolving into an economic trade union. Not a radical organization, the Brotherhood stood firmly for its rights, but sought to gain them peacefully. Rather than striking, they favored arbitration to settle disputes and misunderstandings. It was in this environment that P. H. Morrissey began his career as a labor leader.

Morrissey’s manner and demeanor allowed him to quickly and successfully settle disputes brought by the Brotherhood against the nation’s railroads. Regarding Morrissey’s negotiating abilities, The Railroad Trainmen’s Journal commented: " … his success in the settling of grievances has gained for him the respect and confidence of those with whom he has had dealings, and brought him prominently and favorably before the railroad organizations as a labor representative."

As P. H. Morrissey’s roll in the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen grew, the rank and file recognized his labor was "advancing the interests of the Brotherhood throughout the country." The Trainmen’s Journal noted that he was "identified with all the important affairs of the order and in every instance has performed his duties with credit to himself and satisfaction to the organization." Morrissey’s duties brought him into contact with railway workers throughout the United States and Canada. Popular and efficient P. H. Morrissey was elected Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in May 1895.

When Morrissey assumed leadership of the Trainmen, an economic downturn shrunk membership from 28,000 to 17,000, while financially he was looking at a $150,000 deficit for the coming year. George Donovan, a conductor on the C. B. & Q., later wrote: "It was this discouraging state of affairs that confronted Mr. Morrissey when he entered upon the duties of his office as Grand Master." However, the 32-year-old Morrissey’s leadership "inspired confidence, and with youth, vigor and a brilliant intellect he soon had the organization on an upward trend." He traveled all over the United States and Canada organizing lodges, directing wage movements, and forging labor legislation.

It was soon evident that Morrissey’s election jumpstarted the Brotherhood and, to date, was the most important single event to effect the organization. With Morrissey at the helm, "the affairs of the Trainmen began to click." In four years Morrissey brought the Trainmen from near collapse to "the largest organization of railway employees in the United States."

When Morrissey led the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, the steam locomotive was king of transportation. America’s railroad system connected every city, town, and village via a network of steel. The automobile was in its infancy and a nation linked by paved highways and interstates was unimaginable. Flight was an experiment by two bicycle mechanics. Most freight and passenger travel moved by rail. The nation’s economic existence was borne by the railroads and their employees.

Foreseeing the power from an industrial union encompassing all railroad workers, Eugene V. Debs left the Firemen Brotherhood to organize the American Railway Union. Initially successful, the A. R. U. collapsed with the failed Pullman Strike in 1894. President Cleveland’s sided with business and used the army and the court to crush the A. R. U.

Even though he had assisted organizing the Brakeman in 1883, the now Trainmen failed to support Debs and the A. R. U. Disgruntled with the labor movement, Debs, America’s most recognized labor leader, turned to Socialism, leaving the railroad workers to the four brotherhoods the largest being the Trainmen. With Debs gone, the heads of the Brotherhoods were the most powerful labor leaders in the United States. The Trainmen having the largest membership, it is arguable that Patrick Henry Morrissey was the most powerful labor leader in America.

Labor and Morrissey found a new ally in 1902, and it came from an unexpected corner, the President of the United States. An assassin’s bullet elevated Theodore Roosevelt to the Presidency in September 1901. Roosevelt, a Progressive, promoted a "square deal" for all Americans. A Pennsylvania coal strike in 1902 let the public know where the new President stood when it came to the wage earner. The mine owners refused to negotiate or arbitrate with the United Mine Workers Union and asked Roosevelt for federal troops. The President refused, threatening to send in the army and placing the mines under government control. The owners quickly agreed to accept the decision of a board of arbitration. Roosevelt’s position in the controversy was to protect the interests of all parties ñ workers, business, and the public as a whole.

Roosevelt came to office willing to listen to all sides and invited representatives of labor to Washington. Morrissey became a frequent visitor to the White House during the Roosevelt Administration, where he represented both the interests of the Trainmen and labor in general. Roosevelt, the Harvard-educated New York patrician, and P. H. Morrissey, the brakeman son of Irish immigrants, developed a mutual friendship. About the head of the Trainmen, Roosevelt wrote Winston Churchill the following: "The only prominent labor leader I ever met who was as good a citizen, as good an adviser politically, and as broad and practical a worker for social justice as the best of our people generally, was Patrick Morrissey…" To a fellow progressive, Roosevelt said: "Patrick Morrissey, an unusually good man, used to always to ask me to include in my speeches to his people straightforward and emphatic denunciations of lawlessness…"

One of Morrissey’s "most cherished possessions were letters from Roosevelt expressing gratitude." At the close of the Roosevelt administration, Morrissey received a letter dated March 10, 1909. The President wrote: "’There have been mighty few men who have helped me more then you have during my term as president and I thank you for it.’"

Morrissey invited Roosevelt to speak at a Railway Men’s Picnic held on September 8, 1910 in Freeport, Ill. A crowd of 30,000 watched as a "big table was handed up on the platform and upon it climbed a man of Galesburg, P. H. Morrissey." He made a series of witty comments, and then introduced the former President "as a friend of labor." During his speech, Roosevelt spoke this about Morrissey:

"’It was a very great pleasure to be introduced to you by Mr. Morrissey because there were very few men in the United States who aided me more, and to whom I turned more freely then to him while I was in the White House, and I was able to get advice from him because although an ardent railroad man representing railroad men, he was also primarily a good American Citizen.’"

The Evening Mail headlined: "SEE GALESBURG MAN IN CABINET Unstinted Praise of P. H. Morrissey Taken to be Significant of What Will Happen." The Mail further reported: "Yesterday at Freeport Former President and probably Future President Roosevelt, announced that he had found cabinet material in P. H. Morrissey."

After nearly 14 years as the Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Morrissey stepped down on January 1, 1909. Under his forceful leadership, the membership at his departure stood at 100,000 and the treasury had a $1.6 million surplus.

Morrissey accepted a less taxing position as president of the American Railway Employees and Investors’ Association; an organization endorsed by the Brotherhood leaders. Interest in the Association waned and it ceased to exist. Morrissey next served on numerous arbitration boards; eventually he took a position in labor relations with the Burlington Road.

Taking ill in May 1916, Patrick Henry Morrissey died of a brain tumor on November 28th. On word of his old friend’s death, Theodore Roosevelt telegraphed the family: "I am deeply distressed at the death of Mr. Morrissey, who was one of the country’s best men and finest citizens."

The ‘Q’ conductor, George Donovan, paid tribute to Morrissey in the Galesburg Labor News. He wrote that he "knew him as a man that was absolutely fair; he was firm for what he thought was right, but always willing to listen to the other side of the story." Donovan continued to state that he was "proud of having had him for a friend, grateful for the great good he had done the trainmen of America …"

Revered by all in the Brotherhood, during the 1930s a plaque-bearing monument to Morrissey was erected at his St. Joseph Cemetery gravesite. It reads:

Erected by members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in loving remembrance of one who contributed unstintingly and unselfishly his best thoughts and efforts that those of our craft and their families might receive and enjoy the blessings intended for mankind by our supreme ruler. He was untiring in his efforts to secure for us a better living and service condition which was accomplished in a manner that carried with it the respect of all who dealt with him.

Patrick H. Morrissey was inducted into the Illinois Labor History Hall of Honor in 2000 along with Studs Terkel and John Brown Lennon. Only 44 Illinoisans have been so honored.

Succeeding Patrick Henry Morrison in the new office of President was William Grenville Lee. here is his Labor biography;


Lee, William Grenville. Born in La Prairie, Illinois. November 29, 1859, son of James W., a carpenter and contractor, and Silvestra Jane (Tracy) Lee; Congregationalist; married Mary R. Rice October 25, 1901; worked for his father as a carpenter, after finishing grammar school; became a brakeman on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1879, was later transferred to the Rayton-New Mexico Division and promoted to conductor. In 1880; served as the deputy recorder of deeds, Ford County, Kansas, 1884-1888; became a brakeman and a switchman on the Wabash Railroad in 1888, and shortly thereafter joined the Missouri Pacific in a similar capacity; joined the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainman (B of RT) 1890; secured employment on the Union Pacific Railroad as a freight brakeman, and then freight conductor; organized a B of RT Lodge in Kansas City and served as its master, chairman of its local committee, and member of the General Committee on the Union Pacific; became grand vice master of the B of RT, in 1895, was elected B of RT President in 1909; led the union through its long struggle for an eight hour day, finally achieved through federal legislation, after the threat of a nationwide strike in 1917; staunchly believed in the sanctity of contracts, and expelled nearly one-sixth of the B of RT's general membership in 1924 on authorized strikes; was defeated in 1928 for reelection, primarily because of old age and ill health, but was chosen general secretary treasurer; politically was a Republican, refused to cooperate with presidents of other railroad brotherhoods who supported the Progressive party candidacy of Robert M. LaFollette in 1924; died in Cleveland November 2, 1929.

When Bill Lee retired in 1928, he was succeeded as President by Alexander F Whitney, who had tried to beat Bill Lee at every convention since 1909, there was no love lost between the two of them, Lee was a Republican, and Whitney, a Democrat, they were like oil and water, Whitney worked his way up in the hierarchy to the Third Vice Presidents position, and took a run at Lee for the presidency, but lost by a slim margin, Lee and his henchmen ran one of theirs against Whitney and he lost his position, but was reelected as 9th Vice president, this rivalry went on for 20 years until Lee was old and in poor health when Alexander Whitney finally claimed the prize of the presidency.



Biography:

Whitney, Alexander, Fell. Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa. April 23, 1873; son of Joseph Leonard a minister, and Martha Wallin (Batchelor) Whitney; Presbyterian; married Grace Elizabeth Marshman on September 7, 1893, and, after her death in 1923, Dorsey May Rowley on June 2, 1927, three children; left high school in 1888 and became a news agent on the Illinois Central Railroad; served as a brakeman on several Midwestern railroads during 1890-1901; joined G.F.Boynton Lodge 138, Eagle Grove, Iowa of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (B of RT) in 1896, elected master of the general grievance committee of the Chicago and North Western Railway B of RT in 1901; elected vice president in 1902, and secretary-treasurer in 1903 of the newly organized Western Association of General Committees of the Order of Railway Conductors and B of RT, became a member of the B of RT board of grand trustees in 1905, and two years later elected vice president; elected general secretary treasurer and later that year became the president of the B of RT; served as chairman of the Railway Labor Executives' Association, 1932-1934, was one of the principal sponsors and advocated the Railroad Retirement Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1935; appointed by Pres. Franklin D Roosevelt as the delegate to the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace in 1936, along with Alvanley Johnston Pres. of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, led his union into a national railroad strike in May, 1946, but was forced, after two days to end the strike because of the threat of drastic punitive legislation; was liberal in politics, and usually supported Democratic candidates for public office; authored "Main Street, not Wall Street" (1938), and "Wartime Wages and Railroad Labor" (1944), died in Cleveland, Ohio, July 16, 1949.

Bibliography: Walter F. McCaleb, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainman, with Special Reference to the Life of Alexander F. Whitney (1936), Joel Seidman, The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainman, Internal Political Life of a National Union (1962); Charles A Madison, American Labor Leaders: Personalities and Forces in the Labor Movement (1962)

From Biographical Dictionary of American Labor Leaders, Editor-In-Chief Gary M Fink, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut-London, England

Photo of brakemen employed on the Northern Division of the Chicago and North Western Railway members of GE Boynton Lodge No. 138 at Eagle Grove, Iowa, chartered August 27, 1885. The photo was taken in 1895, and Alexander F Whitney is second from the left wearing a bowler hat.

Beautiful watch. The inscription seems a bit rough though -- the photograph? Does the date read 1957?

Great stuff Larry,

Thank you for taking the time to bring this watch to life. I really enjoy being able to picture the tangible connection to the history of the watch.

I think it looks like 1937.

quote:

Does the date read 1957?

quote:

I think it looks like 1937.

Every time I look I see the date differently but since the watch #2611656 was made in 1937 you gotta figure.

This interesting photo was taken at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on May 21, 1911. It shows the B of RT, officers attending the 10th Biennial Convention that was held at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 11. From left to right, M.J. Murphy Chief Clerk to President Lee to the right of man in shirtsleeves; Vice President, T.R. Dodge; A.F. Whitney, Vice President wearing bowler hat; A.E. King, General Secretary Treasurer; W.G. Lee, President, leaning against canon; R.W. Nicol, Bureau of Information; James Murdoch, Vice President. This was two years before the 11th Biennial convention in San Francisco where Alexander Whitney, ran for the presidency against Bill Lee, losing by a small margin, and lost his 3rd Vice President position, sliding down the ladder to the 9th Vice Presidents position.

Cover of December, 1906 Railroad Trainmen's Journal

Getting back to pocket watches, the B of RT offered members and their spouses, who sold prepaid subscriptions to the Railroad Trainmen's Journal, 12 issues was one dollar per year. There were many prizes, from pocket watches, watch fobs, lapel pins, ladies hat pins, and rings, in ranges from 3 to 75 Subscriptions. For 30 paid subscriptions, a lady or her husband could get her a Ball B of RT Queen Hunter pocket watch. For 35 paid subscriptions a Ball 16 size, 16 jewel, Commercial Standard pocket watch in a 20 year yellow gold filled case was offered. The grand prize for 75 paid substitutions was the Fifty Dollar Ball B of RT Standard pocket watch.

We now go forward to the 1930s, Alexander Whitney and finally got the car keys for the Cadillac from Bill Lee. In 1936 he got Walter F McCaleb to write "A History of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen," With Special Reference to the Life of Alexander F Whitney, to make sure everyone would remember his struggle to get to the top.

Looking through my bound volumes of the Railroad Trainman, advertising was now minimal, Hamilton was the sole pocket watch manufacturer that advertised in the Journal. Here is one from 1938

Here is another advertisement from 1939, showing a watchmaker and a passenger conductor.

GRAVE OF STEPHEN E. WILKINSON

Monument erected in Linwood Cemetery, Galesburg, Illinois, in memory of Stephen E. Wilkinson, born 1850, died 1901. Grand Master, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen 1885-1895, Inscription: "Erected by Brotherhood of Railroad Trainman to the memory of Stephen E. Wilkinson, who as a member and officer materially assisted in improving the service conditions of the employees of the railway service in the United States and Canada. He was among the pioneers of the railway labor organizations and as such he contributed his full measure toward the betterment of his fellowmen."

From left to right in picture: George Donovan, Lodge 24, Galesburg, Illinois; William G. Edens, Lodge 4, Chicago, Illinois; and O.B. Owen, Lodge 24, Galesburg, Illinois.

Col. William G. Edens was an early member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen, and held a prominent position in the United States Post Office.