James Eads How
Encyclopedia
James Eads How was an American organizer
of the hobo
community in the early 20th century. He was heir of a wealthy St. Louis family, but chose to live as a hobo and to help the homeless migrant workers. The newspapers often referred to him as the "Millionaire Hobo".
How was the founder, driving force and financier of the International Brotherhood Welfare Association
, a union for migrant workers which published the Hobo News
and organized hobo colleges and hobo conventions.
. His mother, Eliza Eads How, was the daughter of James Buchanan Eads
, a successful civil engineer and inventor who had built the Eads Bridge
. Even as a child he preferred a simple life without the servants his family could easily afford. How studied theology
, first at Meadville Theological School, a Unitarian
school in Meadville, Pennsylvania
. There he was known as an eccentric because he donated much of his allowance to the poor and lived in the bare minimum. This was largely because of his religious conviction. How went to study at Harvard, where he tried but failed to found a monastic order, The Brotherhood of the Daily Life. He later went to Oxford
and joined George Bernard Shaw
's Fabian Society
, at which time he also became a vegetarian (which he remained for the rest of his life). He then studied medicine at the College of Physicians & Surgeons
in Manhattan
, but did not finish his medical degree.
and Social Gospel
.
In addition to advocating for the hobos, How chose to live as one, even though he had both money and education. He wore a shaggy beard and rough tramplike clothes. It was said that even ordinary hobos looked well dressed compared to How. From about age 25, he traveled around doing hard work for a living. One of How's contemporaries, sociologist Nels Anderson
, describes how fully he immersed himself in the hobo lifestyle and how seriously he took his work:
(IBWA), a sort of union for the hobos with headquarters in Cincinnati. Through the IBWA, How sponsored various hobo advocacy activities, including "hobo colleges", hobo journalism, and conventions. The media often ridiculed How and his many failed projects, calling him the "Millionaire Hobo" or "Millionaire Tramp", but it did not seem to discourage him.
The hobo colleges, which How started in several cities, primarily offered lodging and meals, but as the name implies also education and a place to meet. The education would be scheduled certain nights and included basic social science, industrial law, public speaking, searching for jobs and anything that may be understood and useful for the hobos. The lectures were held by street orators as well as academics. How often talked about social politics subjects such as 8-hour working day, pensions and unemployment. The discussions following were known to be very lively. They also served as community meeting places where the homeless workers could express themselves. It was held mainly in winter when there were fewer jobs and more hobos in the cities. The success of the "colleges" varied. The Chicago branch was the biggest and one year debated with University of Chicago
students. A hobo college was usually a rented building in the hobo area of a city. There would be blankets for sleeping, a washroom and a kitchen, where the hobos cooked their favorite mulligan stew. The houses often failed, and How had to spend much time going around and restarting them.
The other main work of How and the IBWA was the Hobo News
, a magazine for hobos. Hobo News was published from about 1915 to at least 1929, and is now considered a predecessor to the modern street paper movement.
According to contemporary sociologist Nels Anderson
, How had almost complete control over the IBWA and Hobo News, at least in the beginning. This was not because he sought power—he had strong democratic ideals and gave individual "colleges" and other project much management sovereignty—but rather because of his money, which was often needed for new ideas, or to cover for financial problems. How often paid for meals at the hobo conventions and other meetings. Less optimistic said that without the doughnuts and other free food, the hobos would show little interest in How's organizations. However, How never gave cash to those who tried to ask him for it.
After the start of World War I
, the Espionage Act of 1917
and government attacks on the larger Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW), the less radical IBWA and the Hobo News also came under scrutiny. The IBWA often pointed out that is was different from the IWW, though somewhat supporting. As IWW was increasingly broken many of its members joined IBWA, leading to both radicalization and faction conflicts. How was on the moderate side and preferred the IBWA to focus on education and more immediate political issues like abolishing vagrancy
laws, rather than direct action and sabotage.
, who said that the first time he went to a IBWA meeting and met How changed his whole life. Reitman went on to found the Chicago hobo college, one of the most successful, in 1908.
How was chairman of the National Committee for the Relief of the Unemployed in New York, but went back to St. Louis in 1908 after disagreement with other leaders.
In 1914 How led a group from the IBWA in New York to join the second Coxey's Army
protest march to Washington D.C.
in 1925-26. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
in 2007. How did not stop his social work however. They divorced two years before How's death.
In July 1930 How was found fainted in Cincinnati Union Station
and was taken care of by his friend and attorney Nicholas Klein. He received medical care but died of pneumonia
and starvation two weeks later, July 22, 1930, at the age of 56.
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
of the hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
community in the early 20th century. He was heir of a wealthy St. Louis family, but chose to live as a hobo and to help the homeless migrant workers. The newspapers often referred to him as the "Millionaire Hobo".
How was the founder, driving force and financier of the International Brotherhood Welfare Association
International Brotherhood Welfare Association
The International Brotherhood Welfare Association was a mutual aid society for hobos founded in 1905-1906. It was the second largest after the Industrial Workers of the World . It was started by James Eads How who had inherited a fortune but chose to live a hobo life...
, a union for migrant workers which published the Hobo News
Hobo News
Hobo News was an early 20th century newspaper for homeless migrant workers . It was published in St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati, Ohio, by the International Brotherhood Welfare Association and its founder James Eads How...
and organized hobo colleges and hobo conventions.
Early life
James Eads How's father was James Flintham How, vice president and general manager of the Wabash RailroadWabash Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
. His mother, Eliza Eads How, was the daughter of James Buchanan Eads
James Buchanan Eads
Captain James Buchanan Eads was a world-renowned American civil engineer and inventor, holding more than fifty patents.-Early life and education:...
, a successful civil engineer and inventor who had built the Eads Bridge
Eads Bridge
The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois....
. Even as a child he preferred a simple life without the servants his family could easily afford. How studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, first at Meadville Theological School, a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
school in Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
. There he was known as an eccentric because he donated much of his allowance to the poor and lived in the bare minimum. This was largely because of his religious conviction. How went to study at Harvard, where he tried but failed to found a monastic order, The Brotherhood of the Daily Life. He later went to Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and joined George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
, at which time he also became a vegetarian (which he remained for the rest of his life). He then studied medicine at the College of Physicians & Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, but did not finish his medical degree.
As a hobo and activist
How felt morally obligated to put his wealth to good use—going so far as to state of his fortune, "I have not earned it, it is not mine"—and he chose the homeless as the population he would dedicate his money and his life to organizing and advocating. He saw hobos as a class of people that was crucial to American industry but marginalized from society. Therefore, How spent most of his family estate and the tolls for Eads Bridge on his work with the homeless. How's vision came from the social ideas of christian socialismChristian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
and Social Gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
.
In addition to advocating for the hobos, How chose to live as one, even though he had both money and education. He wore a shaggy beard and rough tramplike clothes. It was said that even ordinary hobos looked well dressed compared to How. From about age 25, he traveled around doing hard work for a living. One of How's contemporaries, sociologist Nels Anderson
Nels Anderson
Nels Anderson was an early American sociologist. He studied at the University of Chicago under Robert E. Park and Ernest Burgess, whose concentric zone theory was one of the earliest models developed to explain the organization of urban areas...
, describes how fully he immersed himself in the hobo lifestyle and how seriously he took his work:
International Brotherhood Welfare Association
Central to How's work was his brainchild, the International Brotherhood Welfare AssociationInternational Brotherhood Welfare Association
The International Brotherhood Welfare Association was a mutual aid society for hobos founded in 1905-1906. It was the second largest after the Industrial Workers of the World . It was started by James Eads How who had inherited a fortune but chose to live a hobo life...
(IBWA), a sort of union for the hobos with headquarters in Cincinnati. Through the IBWA, How sponsored various hobo advocacy activities, including "hobo colleges", hobo journalism, and conventions. The media often ridiculed How and his many failed projects, calling him the "Millionaire Hobo" or "Millionaire Tramp", but it did not seem to discourage him.
The hobo colleges, which How started in several cities, primarily offered lodging and meals, but as the name implies also education and a place to meet. The education would be scheduled certain nights and included basic social science, industrial law, public speaking, searching for jobs and anything that may be understood and useful for the hobos. The lectures were held by street orators as well as academics. How often talked about social politics subjects such as 8-hour working day, pensions and unemployment. The discussions following were known to be very lively. They also served as community meeting places where the homeless workers could express themselves. It was held mainly in winter when there were fewer jobs and more hobos in the cities. The success of the "colleges" varied. The Chicago branch was the biggest and one year debated with University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
students. A hobo college was usually a rented building in the hobo area of a city. There would be blankets for sleeping, a washroom and a kitchen, where the hobos cooked their favorite mulligan stew. The houses often failed, and How had to spend much time going around and restarting them.
The other main work of How and the IBWA was the Hobo News
Hobo News
Hobo News was an early 20th century newspaper for homeless migrant workers . It was published in St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati, Ohio, by the International Brotherhood Welfare Association and its founder James Eads How...
, a magazine for hobos. Hobo News was published from about 1915 to at least 1929, and is now considered a predecessor to the modern street paper movement.
According to contemporary sociologist Nels Anderson
Nels Anderson
Nels Anderson was an early American sociologist. He studied at the University of Chicago under Robert E. Park and Ernest Burgess, whose concentric zone theory was one of the earliest models developed to explain the organization of urban areas...
, How had almost complete control over the IBWA and Hobo News, at least in the beginning. This was not because he sought power—he had strong democratic ideals and gave individual "colleges" and other project much management sovereignty—but rather because of his money, which was often needed for new ideas, or to cover for financial problems. How often paid for meals at the hobo conventions and other meetings. Less optimistic said that without the doughnuts and other free food, the hobos would show little interest in How's organizations. However, How never gave cash to those who tried to ask him for it.
After the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Espionage Act of 1917
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the U.S. entry into World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code but is now found under Title 18, Crime...
and government attacks on the larger Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
(IWW), the less radical IBWA and the Hobo News also came under scrutiny. The IBWA often pointed out that is was different from the IWW, though somewhat supporting. As IWW was increasingly broken many of its members joined IBWA, leading to both radicalization and faction conflicts. How was on the moderate side and preferred the IBWA to focus on education and more immediate political issues like abolishing vagrancy
Vagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
laws, rather than direct action and sabotage.
Other
How became mentor of Ben ReitmanBen Reitman
Ben Lewis Reitman was an American anarchist and physician to the poor . He is best remembered today as radical Emma Goldman's lover.Reitman was a flamboyant, eccentric character...
, who said that the first time he went to a IBWA meeting and met How changed his whole life. Reitman went on to found the Chicago hobo college, one of the most successful, in 1908.
How was chairman of the National Committee for the Relief of the Unemployed in New York, but went back to St. Louis in 1908 after disagreement with other leaders.
In 1914 How led a group from the IBWA in New York to join the second Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army
Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by the populist Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time. Officially named the Army of the...
protest march to Washington D.C.
Later life
At 50 How married and moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s with his wife Ingeborg. They had a house built by the famous architect Rudolf M. Schindler in the suburb SilverlakeSilver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
in 1925-26. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
in 2007. How did not stop his social work however. They divorced two years before How's death.
In July 1930 How was found fainted in Cincinnati Union Station
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, originally Cincinnati Union Terminal, is a passenger railroad station in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States...
and was taken care of by his friend and attorney Nicholas Klein. He received medical care but died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and starvation two weeks later, July 22, 1930, at the age of 56.