University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
3641 (Accession No. 3641-001)
Farmer, Albert H
Albert H. Farmer
papers
1926-1981
.84 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Collection materials are in
English.
Papers of a
Washington State longshoreman, labor organizer, and charter member of Local
38-76 (Everett, Washington) of the International Longshormen's
Association.
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.
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
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.
The papers are open to all users.
Request at UW
The creator's literary rights have been transferred to the University
of Washington Libraries.
Bert Farmer donated his papers to the University of Washington
Libraries in February 1985.
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.
Farmer, Albert H.--Archives
National Longshoremen's Board (U.S.)
International Longshoremen's Association. Pacific Coast District
Maritime Federation of the Pacific Coast
Mobile Home Owners of America
United States. National Labor Relations Board
Stevedores--Washington (State)--Archives
Labor leaders--Washington (State)--Archives
Longshoremen's Strike, San Francisco, Calif., 1934
Strikes and lockouts--Stevedores--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
Strikes and lockouts--Stevedores--Washington (State)--Everett
Stevedores--Labor unions--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
Stevedores--Employment--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
Merchant mariners--Labor unions--Pacific Coast (U.S.)
Homeowners' associations--United States
Mobile homes
Diaries
correspondence
Contracts
Newsletters
conferences
reports
ephemera
constitutions
Pamphlets
Speeches, addresses, etc
Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
Labor Unions
Labor History
Ships and Shipping
California
Washington (State)
International Longshoremen's Association, Pacific Coast
District
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.
1/1
Constitutions
1926, 1931
1/2
Incoming letter: American Federation of
Labor
1934
Interoffice correspondence
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
1/4
Local 318 (Seattle)
1934
1/4
Drafting Committee
1934
1/4
Work Rules Committee
1934
1/4
Everett Strike Committee
1934
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
1/13
The Hook
1934
1/13
Waterfront Worker
1934
1/14
Newspapers
1934
1/15
Clippings
undated
1/16
Ephemera
undated
Pamphlets
1/17
"The Great San Francisco General Strike"
undated
1/17
"The Waterfront Strike"
undated
1/18
List - "American Citizens"
undated
United States National Longshoremen's Board
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.
Incoming letters
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
1/21-22
Outgoing letters
1934-1935
1/23
Diary
1934
Reports
1/24
Puget Sound ports
1934
1/24
Daily reports
1934
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 Coast
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 America
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
2/19
King County Housing Taskforce
1978-1979
Personal papers
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