In 1975, the Janesville Bicentennial Committee received a federal matching grant for a labor oral history project. One of 43 projects selected from 256 applications received by the Wisconsin American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, this project's goal was to document the development of Janesville's labor movement and to gather related information on the interviewees' ethnic, religious, political, and family backgrounds.
The interviews were conducted by historian Clem Imhoff with twelve Janesville men active in locals of the firefighters, teamsters, and the auto, rubber, electrical, and textile workers unions, primarily in the 1920s through 1940s.
The paragraphs below summarize the main topics of each interview. The content descriptions which follow are in alphabetical order by interviewee; each is an abstract providing details on the topics and indicating the times when the topics are discussed. Though the tapes are numbered Reels 1-34, there is no Reel 26.
Lou Adkins was born in Indianapolis in 1899. He came to Janesville with his father in 1920 to work at Samson Tractor Company, but spent most of his working years at the Fisher Body plant. Adkins was one of the original organizers for Local 95 of the United Auto Workers. He served on Local 95's shop committee and as president of a joint Local 95-Local 121 union during World War II. His tapes include recollections of the earliest UAW organizing activity at the Fisher plant.
Don Dooley was born in Janesville in 1909. From 1927 to 1969 he worked for Fisher Auto Body spending much of that time in the paint department. Dooley joined the United Auto Workers in 1935 and held several offices including the presidency of Local 95. His tapes include much information concerning work at Fisher, especially in the paint department, and the early development of Local 95.
Ralph Hilkin was born near Dubuque, Iowa. He moved to Janesville circa 1930 to work at Fisher Auto Body where he became an early member of UAW Local 95. After World War II he joined the Janesville Fire Department and played a key role in transforming the Firefighters Association into an effective labor organization. His tapes contain information on his youth, his early years at Fisher, and his service with the fire department, especially concerning Firefighters Local 580.
Harry Johnson was born in Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1897. He moved to Janesville in 1923 to work at Chevrolet and was apparently the first UAW member in the plant. He served as financial secretary of Local 121 during its formative years. His tapes concern early work experiences at Chevrolet, work with the General Motors World's Fair exhibit in 1933, and early membership of Local 121.
James V. (Jack) Johnston was born in Chicago in 1906. The family moved to Fontana, Wisconsin in 1907. He worked primarily with Fisher Auto Body from 1923 to 1964, holding a variety of jobs. An early member of UAW Local 95, he served as vice-president during the union's formative years. His tapes contain information on a variety of work experiences at Fisher, the early development of Local 95, and the 1937 sitdown at Fisher and Chevrolet.
Gerald H. Litney, born in Janesville in 1900, was an employee of the Rock River Woolen Mills during the 1920s and '30s. Litney played a key role in organizing a local of the Textile Workers Union of America at Rock River Woolen. In 1939 he moved to Chicago and a position on the staff of the TWUA. His tapes contain information on the nature of work at the Rock River Woolen Mills, the organization of the TWUA local there, the role of women workers in the Mills, his work with black textile workers in Chicago, his family background, and his and his father's experiences while working for railroads.
Eugene Osmond was born in Janesville in 1908 and worked for forty years at the Chevrolet plant. One of the earliest members of the United Auto Workers at Chevrolet, he served as a trustee and a frequent member of the bargaining committee and devoted much time and energy to the recruitment of new members. His tapes contain information on the nature of work at Chevrolet, the formation of UAW Local 121, and the 1937 sitdown at the Chevrolet plant. He also discusses his father's work in railroad unions.
Hugo Preuss was born in Janesville in 1903. From 1919 he worked as an electrician in the Janesville area, including a stint with the electrical contractors for the General Motors plant constructed circa 1923. Preuss was an early member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 890. His tapes contain information on the nature of early electrical work and the development of the IBEW in the Janesville area, as well as details on Germans as an ethnic group in Janesville.
John S. Scott, Sr., was born in Coweta, Oklahoma, and moved to Janesville from Chicago in 1948. A long-time employee of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, in 1961 he became one of the first black employees for General Motors in Janesville. His tapes include much information on being black in Oklahoma, at Fisher, and in Janesville; on his railroad work; and on his experiences as a youthful hobo during the depression.
Glenn Swinbank was born in New Diggings, Wisconsin, in 1907 and came to Janesville to work at Chevrolet in 1928. He served as recording secretary of UAW Local 121 during the 1930s. His tapes contain information on his youth in New Diggings, his work at Chevrolet, and the formation of Local 121.
John Wesley Van Horn moved with his family to Janesville in 1920 from his birthplace in Boulder, Colorado. He worked with Fisher Auto Body, primarily on the trim line, from 1926 to 1947. He joined the UAW in 1933 and served as president of Local 95 from 1935 to 1938 and again after World War II. He left Fisher to work for Fairbank-Morse in Beloit. His tapes contain information on the nature of work at Fisher and on the early organization of Local 95. He also discusses the 1937 UAW convention.
James Wells was born in Janesville, although he spent much of his youth in Colorado where his father worked as an electrician. Wells went to work for Parker Pen in the early war years. He became active in union affairs at Parker and played a key role in shifting that local from an AFL federal local to membership in the United Rubber Workers. His tapes also contain information on the development of the Teamsters in Janesville during the 1930s. Other topics include the attitude of the Catholic Church toward unions, women as workers at Parker Pen, and the Rock County Democratic Party.
