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Ray Becker papers, 1919-1970

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Becker, Ray
Title
Ray Becker papers
Dates
1919-1970 (inclusive)
Quantity
.90 cubic feet, (2 document boxes)
Collection Number
Mss 2003
Summary
Papers collected by Julia Ruuttila pertaining to efforts to secure the release from prison of Ray Becker, who was involved in the "Centralia Massacre" of 1919. Includes: correspondence with Becker, papers of the Centralia Publicity Committee and the Free Ray Becker Committee, and newspaper and other published articles. Some photographs included.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English.
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Biographical Note

Rayfield Becker, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in the Pacific northwest, was born Ralph Burgdorf in New Orleans, around 1895, and grew up near Chicago. In 1919 the authorities imprisoned him for his part in the so-called "Centralia Massacre." This incident took place in Centralia, Washington, on Armistace Day of that year and involved the death of four American Legionnaires and one IWW man during a gunfight at the local IWW headquarters. Some witnesses said the veterans had attacked the building and that the IWW men had acted in self-defense. However, contemporary public opinion favored the veterans, and a jury convicted eight IWW members -- including Becker -- of murder in the case. After their conviction, sympathetic citizens -- including many church groups and the Communist Party -- began to campaign for the release of the men. By the mid-1930s, all the original convicts except Ray Becker had died or had been paroled, and around 1936 his supporters formed the Free Ray Becker Committee. A prominent member of the committee was political activist Julia Ruuttila (formerly Julia Godman), who had taken an interest in Becker's case in the early 1920s. Becker remained in Walla Walla State Prison until 1939, when Washington Governor Clarence Martin commuted his sentence. Becker then went to New York City, but he later returned to Portland, Oregon and operated a leather goods store in Vancouver, Washington. He lived until 1950, when he died while working in the yard near his home on SW Arnold Street in Portland.

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Content Description

The collection includes papers collected by Julia Ruuttila pertaining to efforts to secure Ray Becker's release from prison. Papers include correspondence with Becker, papers of the Centralia Publicity Committee and the Free Ray Becker Committee, newspaper and other published articles, and information on the Industrial Workers of the World. The collection also includes some photographs.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Ray Becker papers, Mss 2003, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Alternative Forms Available

The collection is also available on two reels of microfilm, designated Mss 2003 Microfilm.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into four series:

  • Series A: Letters from Becker to Julia Ruuttila, 1923-1940
  • Series B: Centralia Publicity Committee records, 1919-1952
  • Series C: Free Ray Becker Committe records, circa 1920-1939
  • Series D: Newspaper clippings, articles, and minutes, 1936-1970

Custodial History

The materials were collected by Julia Ruuttila, who stored them in her home in the Vanport housing project in Portland, Oregon. When floods destroyed Vanport in 1948, a large quantity of the Ray Becker materials perished. The papers that Ruuttila salvaged she eventually donated to the Oregon Historical Society, shortly after she had given her own personal papers.

Acquisition Information

Library accession number 11785.

Related Materials

The Oregon Historical Society Research Library also holds the papers of Julia Ruuttila, designated Mss 250.

More photographs of Ray Becker are included in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's subject photograph file BEB-BECZ.

Bibliography

Mark F. Peterson. Fight for Vindication: Ray Becker and the Centralia Case . Class paper, Portland State University, 1978. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library, 331.886 P485fri)

Tom Copeland. The Centralia tragedy of 1919: Elmer Smith and the Wobblies . Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1993 (Oregon Historical Society Research Library, 331.886 C782c).

Dennis Phillip Brown. The Centralia massacre [sound recording]. Portland, Oregon: KBOO (Oregon Historical Society Research Library, SR 2207).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Centralia Massacre, Centralia, Wash., 1919.
  • Riots--Washington (State)--Centralia--History.
  • Trials (Murder)--Washington (State)
  • Trials (Riots)--Washington (State)

Personal Names

  • Attridge, Elizabeth
  • Becker, Ray.
  • Goodman, Irvin, 1897-1958.
  • Smith, Elmer.

Corporate Names

  • Centralia Publicity Committee.
  • Free Ray Becker Committee.
  • Industrial Workers of the World.

Geographical Names

  • Centralia (Wash.)--History.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Ledgers (account books)
  • Letters (Correspondence)
  • Photographs.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Ruuttila, Julia, 1907-1991. (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Diane Couture and Geoffrey Wexler
2007

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