Harvey O'Connor
Encyclopedia
Harvey O'Connor was an American radical journalist
, newspaper editor, and political activist. The author of nearly a dozen books in his lifetime, O'Connor is best remembered for his activity in the 1919 Seattle General Strike and as a memoirist about early 20th Century politics in Washington state
.
, the son of a railway cook. He attended public school in neighboring St. Paul before relocating with his family to Tacoma, Washington
, where he completed high school
in 1914.
Owing to the death of his father and his mother's need for financial support, O'Connor went to work in various lumber camps as a logger
after graduation rather than continuing his education. There he joined the Industrial Workers of the World
, a radical industrial union espousing the doctrine of syndicalism
— the overthrow of capitalism
in favor of rule by industrially-defined workers organizations.
.
During the 1919 Seattle General Strike which shut down the city for nearly a week during the month of February, O'Connor played a role producing leaflets and agitating on behalf of the strike. His activities caught the attention of the authorities, which subsequently indicted him for criminal anarchy. O'Connor was never brought to trial, however, owing to the loss of a test case
by the state on a similar complaint.
In 1921, O'Connor went to work as a department editor at the Seattle Union Record, a daily produced by the Seattle labor movement under the editorship of his friend E.B. "Harry" Ault
. He stayed with this paper until 1924.
In 1924, O'Connor left the Union Record to move to Cleveland, Ohio
to take a position as assistant editor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' Journal, the monthly magazine of the BLE
.
O'Connor next went to New York City
in 1927 to head the New York bureau of the Federated Press
, a left wing press agency which supplied material to newspapers of the labor movement and left wing political organizations around the country. He remained in this position until 1930.
for commercial publishers. Some of his publications include Mellon's Millions, The Astors, The Guggenheims, History of the Oil Workers International, and The Empire of Oil.
O'Connor remained political active throughout his life, serving as chairman of the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee from 1954 to 1963 and as chairman of the National Committee to Abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee
in 1964.
In 1964, O'Connor published his memoirs, regarded by historians as an important work detailing the history of the radical movement of Washington state
during the first decades of the 20th Century.
in Providence, Rhode Island
.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, newspaper editor, and political activist. The author of nearly a dozen books in his lifetime, O'Connor is best remembered for his activity in the 1919 Seattle General Strike and as a memoirist about early 20th Century politics in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
.
Early years
Harvey O'Connor was born March 29, 1898 in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, the son of a railway cook. He attended public school in neighboring St. Paul before relocating with his family to Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, where he completed high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1914.
Owing to the death of his father and his mother's need for financial support, O'Connor went to work in various lumber camps as a logger
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
after graduation rather than continuing his education. There he joined the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, a radical industrial union espousing the doctrine of syndicalism
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
— the overthrow of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
in favor of rule by industrially-defined workers organizations.
Political career
O'Connor was the editor of the left wing Seattle Daily Call during its short-lived existence in 1917 and 1918. Thereafter, he took a position as the editor and business manager of the Farmer-Labor Call of Centralia, WashingtonCentralia, Washington
Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,336 at the 2010 census.-History:In pioneer days, Centralia was the halfway stopover point for stagecoaches operating between the Columbia River and Seattle. In 1850, J. G. Cochran came from Missouri with his...
.
During the 1919 Seattle General Strike which shut down the city for nearly a week during the month of February, O'Connor played a role producing leaflets and agitating on behalf of the strike. His activities caught the attention of the authorities, which subsequently indicted him for criminal anarchy. O'Connor was never brought to trial, however, owing to the loss of a test case
Test case
A test case in software engineering is a set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine whether an application or software system is working correctly or not. The mechanism for determining whether a software program or system has passed or failed such a test is known as a test...
by the state on a similar complaint.
In 1921, O'Connor went to work as a department editor at the Seattle Union Record, a daily produced by the Seattle labor movement under the editorship of his friend E.B. "Harry" Ault
E.B. "Harry" Ault
Erwin Bratton "Harry" Ault was an American socialist and trade union activist. He is best remembered as the editor of the Seattle Union Record, the long-running labor weekly published from 1912 to 1928. After termination of the Union Record, Ault worked as a commercial printer for a number of...
. He stayed with this paper until 1924.
In 1924, O'Connor left the Union Record to move to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to take a position as assistant editor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' Journal, the monthly magazine of the BLE
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is a labor union founded in Marshall, Michigan, on May 8, 1863, as the Brotherhood of the Footboard. A year later, its name was changed to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, sometimes referred to as the Brotherhood of Engineers...
.
O'Connor next went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1927 to head the New York bureau of the Federated Press
Federated Press
The Federated Press was a left wing news service established in 1920 that provided daily content to the radical and labor press in America.-History:...
, a left wing press agency which supplied material to newspapers of the labor movement and left wing political organizations around the country. He remained in this position until 1930.
Later years
In later years, O'Connor was a professional author, writing a number of non-fiction books accentuating the lifestyles of the rich and powerful and the difficult situation of the working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
for commercial publishers. Some of his publications include Mellon's Millions, The Astors, The Guggenheims, History of the Oil Workers International, and The Empire of Oil.
O'Connor remained political active throughout his life, serving as chairman of the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee from 1954 to 1963 and as chairman of the National Committee to Abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
in 1964.
In 1964, O'Connor published his memoirs, regarded by historians as an important work detailing the history of the radical movement of Washington state
Socialist Party of Washington
The Socialist Party of Washington was the Washington state section of the Socialist Party of America , an organization originally established as a federation of semi-autonomous state organizations...
during the first decades of the 20th Century.
Death and legacy
Harvey O'Connor's papers reside at Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
Works
- How Mellon Got Rich. New York: International Publishers, 1933.
- Mellon's Millions, the Biography of a Fortune: The Life and Times of Andrew W. Mellon. New York: John Day Co., 1933.
- Steel — Dictator. New York: John Day Co., 1935.
- The Guggenheims: The Making of an American Dynasty. New York: Covici Friede, 1937.
- The Astors. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1941.
- History of Oil Workers International Union (CIO). Denver: Oil Workers International Union (CIO), 1950.
- The Empire of Oil. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1955.
- For Abolition of the Inquisitorial Committees of Congress: A Pamphlet. New York: Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, 1957.
- New Light on Iraq. London: Union of Democratic Control, n.d. [c. 1958].
- McCarthy Goes Marching On: An Appeal to the British Public. London: Union of Democratic Control, n.d. [c. 1960].
- World Crisis in Oil. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1962.
- Revolution in Seattle: A Memoir. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1964.
Archives
- Harvey O'Connor papers. circa 1936-1957. 1 pamphlet plus 1 file. Labor Archives of Washington State, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.]
- Harvey O'Connor Civil Liberties Collection, 1966-1972. John Hay LibraryJohn Hay LibraryThe John Hay Library is the second oldest library on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Located on Prospect Street, opposite the Van Wickle Gates, it replaced the outgrown former library, now Robinson Hall, as the main library on the campus...
, Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...