A.S. Embree
Encyclopedia
A.S. Embree, a former minister, was an experienced American union organizer and, briefly, a leader of the Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW). Embree served as the secretary-treasurer pro tem of the national IWW for a period of two months after the national office was raided by federal agents.
Embree was the editor of the Nome Industrial Worker in Bisbee, Arizona
, and was chairman of the IWW strike committee. He was among the union men deported during the Bisbee Deportation
. He later returned to Bisbee, and was arrested on a charge of inciting a riot. After a change of venue, he was tried in Tucson, and acquitted minutes after testimony was completed. Embree then again returned to Bisbee, and was jailed for three months, and threatened with lynching if he did not leave for good.
Embree sought relief from the federal government, arguing that he had the right to live with his wife and children wherever he chose. The federal government informed him that they saw no grounds on which to intervene.
He then worked as an organizer in Butte, Montana
, and then traveled to Idaho
, where he was arrested for making speeches and distributing literature for the IWW. Embree was convicted of violating Idaho's Criminal Syndicalism Act in Shoshone County in 1921, and spent more than three years in jail. After he was released, he began organizing coal miners in Colorado in March of 1926, focusing in particular on Walsenburg, Colorado
. A subsequent strike resulted in a statewide walkout of twelve thousand miners. The strike is best known for the Columbine Mine Massacre
.
In August of 1939, Embree was working as an organizer for the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers
(IUMMSW) in Silverton, Colorado. Embree and the secretary of the Silverton local were forced into an automobile and deported. The National Labor Relations Board
stepped in and ordered back pay for miners who had also been evicted.
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...
(IWW). Embree served as the secretary-treasurer pro tem of the national IWW for a period of two months after the national office was raided by federal agents.
Embree was the editor of the Nome Industrial Worker in Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,177...
, and was chairman of the IWW strike committee. He was among the union men deported during the Bisbee Deportation
Bisbee Deportation
The Bisbee Deportation was the illegal deportation of about 1,300 striking mine workers, their supporters, and citizen bystanders by 2,000 vigilantes on July 12, 1917. The workers and others were kidnapped in the U.S. town of Bisbee, Arizona and held at a local baseball park. They were then loaded...
. He later returned to Bisbee, and was arrested on a charge of inciting a riot. After a change of venue, he was tried in Tucson, and acquitted minutes after testimony was completed. Embree then again returned to Bisbee, and was jailed for three months, and threatened with lynching if he did not leave for good.
Embree sought relief from the federal government, arguing that he had the right to live with his wife and children wherever he chose. The federal government informed him that they saw no grounds on which to intervene.
He then worked as an organizer in Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
, and then traveled to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, where he was arrested for making speeches and distributing literature for the IWW. Embree was convicted of violating Idaho's Criminal Syndicalism Act in Shoshone County in 1921, and spent more than three years in jail. After he was released, he began organizing coal miners in Colorado in March of 1926, focusing in particular on Walsenburg, Colorado
Walsenburg, Colorado
The City of Walsenburg or Los Leones is a Statutory City that is the county seat and the most populous city of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States...
. A subsequent strike resulted in a statewide walkout of twelve thousand miners. The strike is best known for the Columbine Mine Massacre
Columbine Mine massacre
The first Columbine Massacre, sometimes called the Columbine Mine massacre to distinguish it from the Columbine High School massacre, occurred in 1927, in the town of Serene, Colorado. A fight broke out between Colorado state police and a group of striking coal miners, during which the unarmed...
.
In August of 1939, Embree was working as an organizer for the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
(IUMMSW) in Silverton, Colorado. Embree and the secretary of the Silverton local were forced into an automobile and deported. The National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
stepped in and ordered back pay for miners who had also been evicted.