Albert H. Farmer papers, 1926-1981

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Farmer, Albert H
Title
Albert H. Farmer papers
Dates
1926-1981
Quantity
.84 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Collection Number
3641 (Accession No. 3641-001)
Summary
Papers of a Washington State longshoreman, labor organizer, and charter member of Local 38-76 (Everett, Washington) of the International Longshormen's Association.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

The papers are open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Albert H. (Bert) Farmer was a labor organizer and charter member of the International Longshoremen's Association Local 38-76 (Everett, Washington), formed in 1929. During the Pacific Coast maritime strike of 1934, Bert Farmer served as squad captain of the Everett Strike Committee and also on the Joint Northwest Strike Committee.

When union members voted to accept arbitration by the National Longshoremen's Board and began returning to work, Bert Farmer was appointed as a government supervisor of hiring halls. He was the only union member on the entire coast to be appointed to such a position. Farmer's role was to encourage both workers and employers to accept NLB guidelines and to defuse disputes.

In the spring following the strike, West Coast unions formed the Maritime Federation of the Pacific Coast. Bert Farmer was present at the organizational meeting on April 15, 1935, and became a trustee.

After his retirement in 1958, Farmer and his wife, Olga, lived in the Bow Lake Trailer Town near Sea-Tac Airport. Seeing a need to protect the rights of mobile home owners, Farmer founded the nationwide Mobile Home Owners of America in 1966. He served as its first president and was reelected four times as national president of the organization. In 1969 Bert Farmer was appointed to the newly-formed Governor's Advisory Board for the Mobile Home and Recreation Vehicle Industry. He was re-appointed once, serving until 1977.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Farmer's papers relate primarily to the 1934 West Coast longshoremen's strike, the founding of the Maritime Federation of the Pacific, and activities of the Mobile Home Owners of America. Included are correspondence, minutes, contract agreements, newsletters, conference and convention materials, a diary, reports, and ephemera.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The creator's literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The papers are arranged into 6 series:

  • International Longshoremen's Association, Pacific Coast District
  • U.S. National Longshoremen's Board
  • Maritime Federation of the Pacific Coast
  • Mobile Home Owners of America
  • King County Housing Taskforce
  • Personal papers

Acquisition Information

Bert Farmer donated his papers to the University of Washington Libraries in February 1985.

Processing Note

Initial processing was completed in 1985. Additional processing of the papers was done in 1993, with further refinements of the arrangement made by Jamie Wamsley in 1998.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

International Longshoremen's Association, Pacific Coast DistrictReturn to Top

The International Longshoremen’s Association, Pacific Coast District series includes correspondence, minutes, and other material from several locals and strike committees. The diary in this series consists of long, typewritten daily accords concerning union activities during and after the strike.

The Longshoremen’s Association, Pacific Coast District series includes everything related to Farmer’s union activities, whether in the Everett local strike committees, the Seattle local, or the district. Further separation proved impractical.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Constitutions
1926, 1931
1/2
Incoming letter: American Federation of Labor
1934
Interoffice correspondence
Box/Folder
1/3
Bridges, Harry
1934
1/3
Farmer, Albert
1934
1/3
International Longshoremen’s Association, Local 38-82 (San Pedro)
undated
1/3
International Longshoremen’s Association, Pacific Coast District
1934
1/3
International Longshoremen’s Association, Washington Locals
1934
1/3
Lewis, W. N.
1934
1/3
Morris, Paddy
1934
Minutes
Box/Folder
1/4
Local 318 (Seattle)
1934
1/4
Drafting Committee
1934
1/4
Work Rules Committee
1934
1/4
Everett Strike Committee
1934
Box/Folder
1/5
Meeting notes
1934
1/6
Diary
1934-1935
1/7
Contracts and agreements
1934
1/8
Resolution - Local 38-76 (Everett, Washington)
1934
1/9
Speeches - Melvin H. London
1934
1/10
Conferences and conventions - International Longshoremen’s Association, Pacific Coast Annual
1934
1/11
Rules and handbooks
1926-1932, undated
1/12
Report - Strike Fund Committee
1934
Newsletters
Box/Folder
1/13
The Hook
1934
1/13
Waterfront Worker
1934
Box/Folder
1/14
Newspapers
1934
1/15
Clippings
undated
1/16
Ephemera
undated
Pamphlets
Box/Folder
1/17
"The Great San Francisco General Strike"
undated
1/17
"The Waterfront Strike"
undated
Box/Folder
1/18
List - "American Citizens"
undated

United States National Longshoremen's BoardReturn to Top

The series for the U.S. National Longshoremen’s Board reflects Farmer’s work as a government supervisor of hiring halls in 1934. Especially significant are Farmer's diary and a series of daily reports he submitted to the National Longshoremen's Board documenting the sometimes delicate process of reestablishing hiring procedures following the strike. The diary is in the form of a small notebook containing short entries. Some of the daily reports are in the form of correspondence and are filed with correspondence, while others are in the report file.

This series also includes material pertaining to the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. The two boards were apparently affiliated.

Container(s) Description Dates
Incoming letters
Box/Folder
1/19
42 steamship companies
1934
1/19
Anacortes Stevedoring Company
1934
1/19
Barker, Chas
1934
1/19
Deming, Roberg & Williams, Incorporated Stevedores
1934
1/19
Hubbard, W. A.
1934
1/19
Griffiths & Sprague Stevedoring Company
1934
1/19
International Longshoremen's Association, Pacific Coast District
1934
1/19
McCormick Steamship Company
1934
1/19
Olsen, Charles
1934
1/19
Rothschild Stevedoring Company
1934
1/19
Waterfront Employers Union
1934
1/20
U.S. National Longshoremen's Board
1934
Box/Folder
1/21-22
Outgoing letters
1934-1935
1/23
Diary
1934
Reports
Box/Folder
1/24
Puget Sound ports
1934
1/24
Daily reports
1934
Box/Folder
1/25
Financial records
1934
1/26
Testimony - arbitration before the National Longshoremen's Board
1934
1/27
List
undated
1/28
Clippings
undated
1/29
Covers
undated

Maritime Federation of the Pacific CoastReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/30
Constitutions
1935, undated
2/1
Intraoffice correspondence
1935-1936
2/2
Incoming letters
1935
2/3-5
Conferences and conventions
Special Convention of the Maritime Federation of the Pacific Coast
1935
Conference, 1st-10th meeting April 1-25
1935
Emergency Convention, December 1
1935
2/6
Financial reports
1935-1936
2/7
Clippings
1935-1936

Mobile Home Owners of AmericaReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/8
Organizational information
1966
2/9
General correspondence
1966-1973
2/10-11
Minutes
1968-1973
2/12
Speeches and writings
1966,1976
2/13
Report
1966
2/14
Newsletter
1967-1981
2/15
Clippings
circa 1960s
2/16
List
1966
2/17
Ephemera
undated
2/18
Notes
undated

King County Housing Taskforce, 1978-1979Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 2/19

Personal papersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/20
Biographical information
undated
2/21
Incoming letters
1934
2/22
Outgoing letters
1934-1935
2/23
Ephemera
undated
2/24
Legal documents
1934

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Homeowners' associations--United States
  • Labor leaders--Washington (State)--Archives
  • Longshoremen's Strike, San Francisco, Calif., 1934
  • Merchant mariners--Labor unions--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
  • Mobile homes
  • Stevedores--Employment--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
  • Stevedores--Labor unions--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
  • Stevedores--Washington (State)--Archives
  • Strikes and lockouts--Stevedores--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
  • Strikes and lockouts--Stevedores--Washington (State)--Everett

Personal Names

  • Farmer, Albert H.--Archives

Corporate Names

  • International Longshoremen's Association. Pacific Coast District
  • Maritime Federation of the Pacific Coast
  • Mobile Home Owners of America
  • National Longshoremen's Board (U.S.)
  • United States. National Labor Relations Board

Form or Genre Terms

  • Contracts
  • Diaries
  • Newsletters
  • Pamphlets
  • Speeches, addresses, etc
  • conferences
  • constitutions
  • correspondence
  • ephemera
  • reports

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)