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Otto N. Toomey papers, 1935
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Otto N. Toomey papers
- Dates
- 1935 (inclusive)19351935
- Quantity
- 0.25 linear feet
- Collection Number
- ACCN 1707
- Summary
- The Otto N. Toomey papers (1935) consist of a scrapbook of news clippings and a broadside entitled The State of Utah v. O. N. Toomey. The case involved a union carpenter, Otto N. Toomey, who was prosecuted for non-support of his family because he refused to accept work as a laborer as ordered by the Salt Lake County emergency relief administration.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Otto N. Toomey of Sandy, Utah, was arrested and jailed for non-support in February 1935. An unemployed carpenter, Toomey had refused work found for him by the Salt Lake County emergency relief administration. He was defended against the charges by the Salt Lake Building Trades Council, a labor organization, who contended Toomey refused work due to union rules that stated it was "unfair competition for a carpenter to work as a common laborer." The council asserted that Toomey did not refuse work, but instead was fired. Toomey was convicted, despite witnesses (including his wife) who testified that he "was an industrious workman" and a "good provider," then given an eighteen-month sentence. It is unclear whether that sentence was served or suspended.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Otto N. Toomey papers (1935) consist of a scrapbook of news clippings, with annotations by Toomey, and a broadside concerning The State of Utah v. O. N. Toomey. The news clippings were taken from Utah newspapers--including the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, the Midvale Ute Sentinel, the Labor Broadcast, and the Salt Lake Telegram--and provide information on Toomey's arrest and subsequent trial before Judge James W. McKinney. The broadside, headed "ORGANIZE OR SUBMIT!" announces a meeting to protest government actions in regards to Toomey's case. The documents also describe the suicide of a Salt Lake City plumber, Wittan W. Ellerbeck, outside the City and County Building, on the last day of the February trial. Toomey notes that Ellerbeck's suicide, apparently committed in reaction to Toomey's case, affected him "worse than the adverse verdict some three hours later."
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Labor unions--Utah--History--Sources
Personal Names
- Toomey, Otto N.
Form or Genre Terms
- Broadsides
- Clippings
Finding aid created by Mark Jensen
1998 (last modified: 2017)
