Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Albert H. Farmer papers, 1926-1981
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Farmer, Albert H
- Title
- Albert H. Farmer papers
- Dates
- 1926-198119261981
- 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.
- 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)
