Francis J. Murnane
Encyclopedia
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
from Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States who was called "the cultural and historical conscience of Portland" after playing a key or solitary role in preserving several historical monuments in the city. He was the president of his union, International Longshore and Warehouse Union
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union is a labor union which primarily represents dock workers on the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii and Alaska, and in British Columbia, Canada. It also represents hotel workers in Hawaii, cannery workers in Alaska, warehouse workers throughout...
(ILWU) Local 8, and died of a heart attack while presiding over a meeting. A memorial wharf dedicated to Murnane, located on the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
at Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a park located on the west bank of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is , comprising 16 tax lots owned by the City of Portland....
, is slated for demolition in 2009. An effort to restore the Murnane memorial is underway.
Early years
Born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Murnane moved to Portland at an early age and attended St. Lawrence Academy, Lincoln High School, and Columbia University, which is now known as the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
. The Oregonian reported that, "His father sharpened axes in the lumber camps, and young Francis would listen to loggers' stories. He was moved by their stories 'of a world in which no hunger or want would be found among millions of working people.'" A lifelong Catholic, Murnane had considered entering the priesthood and the legal profession before starting work in a plywood mill.
Union activism
At age 21, Murnane joined the Plywood & Veneer Workers Union and soon was elected president. Following the 1937 Plylock Plant lockoutLockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
, which lasted two years and eight months, Murnane worked with Portland attorney Ben Anderson to file a suit on behalf of the locked-out workers. The suit, which has been written up in legal journals at Harvard and Yale, resulted in $1 million in payments to workers throughout Oregon. During WWII, after losing appeals for conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
status, Murnane served four years in an Army engineer battalion. He then lived for a short time in San Francisco before returning to work as a longshore worker
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
on the Portland waterfront in 1946. In the 1950s and 1960s, Murnane was elected to several terms as the ILWU Local 8 president, and was a prime mover in starting the union's annual Bloody Thursday commemoration of the ILWU's deadly 1934 strike. Though Murnane served on the Port Commission
Port of Portland (Oregon)
The Port of Portland is the port district responsible for overseeing Portland International Airport, general aviation, and marine activities in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area in the United States....
, he resigned his seat in 1966 to work on the first U.S. Senate campaign of then-Governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
.
Friendship with Harry Bridges
ILWU International President Harry Bridges credited Murnane for helping Bridges fight his deportation. Bridges served as an honorary pallbearer at Murnane's funeral and said during his graveside eulogy at Mt. Calvary cemetery in Portland:
"This is a sad day for me, perhaps the saddest of my life. The words I am saying now I say with a heavy heart. ... Many times our paths have crossed in the 30 years I have known Francis. He was armed with a tremendous knowledge of working class labor history and working class struggle. Sometimes we differed, but this never altered my respect for his many enterprises. ... Francis was a dedicated, steadfast union man and a true comrade of arms, one to whom I am personally indebted to than any other man."
Historic preservation
Government of Portland, Oregon
The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...
to restore the brass drinking fountains known as Benson Bubblers, of which 20 had been installed across downtown in 1912 to provide drinking water to thirsty loggers
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
.
After the victory on the Benson fountains, Murnane went on to play a solitary or key role in preserving historical monuments including:
- Skidmore Fountain, which was dilapidated and slated for removal
- Campbell Memorial, which stands at 18th and West Burnside in Portland and honors Oregon firefighterFirefighterFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s killed in the line of duty. Murnane testified at a City Council meeting that "Should placing new stones at the memorial be required, whatever the cost, civil decency and respect for those who gave their lives for their fellow citizens – are ample justification." - Iron fences on Vista Avenue, which would have been replaced by concrete
- Pittock MansionPittock MansionThe Pittock Mansion is a French Renaissance-style "château" in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon, USA, originally built as a private home for The Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana. It is a 22 room estate built of Tenino Sandstone situated on that is now owned by the...
, a historic mansion which he helped place into a public trust - Portland sternwheeler, preserved
- Council CrestCouncil Crest ParkCouncil Crest Park is a city park in southwest Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Amenities include paved and unpaved paths, a dog off-leash area, picnic tables, public art, a vista point, and a wedding site that can be reserved. The park, operated by Portland Parks & Recreation, is open...
streetcar, preserved - Renovation of City Council chambersPortland City Hall (Oregon)Portland City Hall is the headquarters of city government of Portland, Oregon, United States. The four-story Italian Renaissance-style building houses the offices of the City Council, which consists of the mayor and four commissioners, and several other offices. City Hall is also home to the City...
- Removal of billboard that was blocking Pioneer Post OfficePioneer CourthouseThe Pioneer Courthouse is a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, United States. Built beginning in 1869, the structure is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest, and the second oldest west of the Mississippi River. Along with Pioneer Courthouse Square, it serves as the center of...
Organizations
Murnane started or served in the following organizations:- International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 8
- Portland Arts Commission
- Oregon Port Commission
- Multnomah CountyMultnomah County, OregonMultnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
Planning Commission - Portland Reporter newspaper
- Woodworkers Local 9-102
- Portland Industrial Union Council
- Oregon State CIOOregon AFL-CIOThe Oregon AFL–CIO is a federation of labor unions in the U.S. state of Oregon that promotes the rights of working people in the electoral and legislative arenas on the local, state and national level. It is an affiliate of the national AFL-CIO...
Death
Murnane died of a heart attack while presiding over a stop-work union meeting at ILWU Local 8. Harry Bridges eulogized at Murnane's graveside memorial on April 16, 1968, saying:
"[Last week I attended] another funeral in Atlanta for an honorary member of my union, Dr. Martin Luther King – an American dedicated to ending the great threat in our society today, racial discriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
. Murnane, too, died in action, after calling for an organizational order of business. I don’t think it’s any secret that at this last meeting Francis presided over, the issue of discrimination came on the floor. He used his eloquence toward eliminating injustices. We must this day and in his memory to strive to eliminate such injustice in our ranks. We must re-dedicate ourselves to see these ideals become reality.”
More than 500 people attend Murnane's 1968 funeral, including ILWU International President Harry Bridges
Harry Bridges
Harry Bridges was an Australian-American union leader, in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union , a longshore and warehouse workers' union on the West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska which he helped form and led for over 40 years...
, who served as honorary pallbearer and delivered a graveside eulogy, Governor Tom McCall
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
, U.S. Senator Wayne Morse Wayne Morse
Wayne Morse
Wayne Lyman Morse was a politician and attorney from Oregon, United States, known for his proclivity for opposing his parties' leadership, and specifically for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds....
, Mayor Terry Schrunk
Terry Schrunk
Terry Doyle Schrunk was an American politician who served as the mayor for the city of Portland, Oregon, from 1957–1973, a length tying George Luis Baker who also served 17 years . Prior to becoming mayor, he had been the sheriff of Multnomah County since 1949. In his 1956 campaign for mayor, he...
, Dovie Odom Hatfield, mother of Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
Commissioner William Bowes
William Bowes
Sir William Bowes was a British landowner and M.P.William Bowes was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was one of the two Members of Parliament for County Durham during the second, third and fourth Parliaments of Charles II, and then again in the second Parliament of William III and first...
, Commissioner Frank Ivancie, and Commissioner Stanley Earl.
Memorial wharf
In 1979, the Portland Development CommissionPortland Development Commission
The Portland Development Commission is the urban renewal agency created by the city of Portland, Oregon. It promotes development, housing projects and economic development within the city's eleven urban renewal districts....
(PDC) and the City of Portland, working with the members of the ILWU's Columbia River District Council, built and dedicated a wharf on the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
as the "Frances J. Murnane Memorial Wharf". The wharf is located at the site of Portland's first commercial dock, which was known as Waymire Dock, where Southwest Ankeny Street meets Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a park located on the west bank of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is , comprising 16 tax lots owned by the City of Portland....
. ILWU International President Harry Bridges, along with about 100 longshore workers, joined elected officials and faith leaders at the dedication ceremony.
The plaque honoring Murnane at the wharf read:
"Here at the site of Portland's first commercial dock, the citizens of Portland, Oregon, have dedicated this area of the Waterfront Park in memory of Francis J. Murnane, many times President of Local 8, Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union (ILWU), in recognition of his years of service to the men along the shore, whose labor, sweat and skills have helped make our city one of the great ports of the world. His concern encompasses the city, its fountains, parks, statues and its history. He was known by the City fathers of his time as the "cultural and historical conscience of Portland."
The plaque has since disappeared, been replaced, and again removed, and the wharf has largely been forgotten as a memorial. It is often called the "Ankeny wharf" and is slated for demolition in 2009. An effort to restore a Murnane memorial is underway.
Quotes about Murnane
"Murnane was a barn-burner, a table-pounder who choked the microphone with eloquence and got things done in caucuses and conventions, and at City Hall, because he could outshout the opposition." – ILWU Northwest Regional Director G. Johnny Parks"Francis Murnane was a tremendous man whose concern for his community and fellow man far exceed his personal desires and needs. While his leadership will be missed by the ILWU cannot be replaced, his many contributions and able leadership in his community cannot be replaced. I have personally lost a wonderful friend." - U.S. Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, April 11, 1968
