William J. Burns International Detective Agency
Encyclopedia
The William J. Burns International Detective Agency was a private detective agency in the United States
, which was operated by William J. Burns
.
(IWW) organizers in the aftermath of the Wheatland Hop Riot
.
in November 1927. Sinclair hired William J. Burns to have 14 agents follow the jurors, and produce daily reports on their activities. The arrangement resulted in a mistrial. In a new hearing, Sinclair claimed that he was concerned about the welfare of the jurors. Sinclair was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to six months in jail. William J. Burns was sentenced to 15 days' imprisonment, and Burns' son, William Sherman Burns, was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. The Supreme Court later reversed William J. Burns' conviction.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which was operated by William J. Burns
William J. Burns
William J. Burns , known as "America's Sherlock Holmes," is famous for having conducted a private investigation clearing Leo Frank of the murder of Mary Phagan, and for serving as the director of the Bureau of Investigation from August 22, 1921 to June 14, 1924...
.
Wheatland Hop Riot
The Burns Agency was hired to track down Industrial Workers of the WorldIndustrial 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) organizers in the aftermath of the Wheatland Hop Riot
Wheatland Hop Riot
The Wheatland Hop Riot, an important and highly-publicized event in California labor history, was the second major labor dispute in the United States supposedly initiated by the Industrial Workers of the World...
.
Labor suppression in Arizona
Burns agents infiltrated the Industrial Workers of the World during an organizing drive in the copper mines of Arizona. Activities included issuing fake IWW membership cards, infiltrating the workforce, spying, and intercepting the mail of organizers.Teapot Dome scandal
Agents of the Burns Detective Agency were hired to "investigate" jurors in a federal trial of Harry F. SinclairHarry F. Sinclair
Harry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
in November 1927. Sinclair hired William J. Burns to have 14 agents follow the jurors, and produce daily reports on their activities. The arrangement resulted in a mistrial. In a new hearing, Sinclair claimed that he was concerned about the welfare of the jurors. Sinclair was convicted on corruption charges and sentenced to six months in jail. William J. Burns was sentenced to 15 days' imprisonment, and Burns' son, William Sherman Burns, was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. The Supreme Court later reversed William J. Burns' conviction.
See also
- Anti-union violenceAnti-union violenceAnti-union violence may take the form of bullying of or aggression against union organisers or sympathisers in the workplace, or outside the workplace. It may happen at the instigation of management, may be committed by agents hired or recruited by management, or by government bodies or others...
- Anti-union organizations in the United StatesAnti-union organizations in the United StatesIn the United States shortly after 1900, there were just a few effective employers' organizations that opposed the union movement. By 1903, these organizations started to coalesce, and a national employers' movement began to exert a powerful influence on industrial relations and public affairs.For...
- Baldwin-FeltsBaldwin-FeltsThe Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency was a private detective agency in the United States.-Formation of the agency:The agency was founded in the early 1890s by William Gibbony Baldwin as the Baldwin Detective Agency....
detective agency - Bisbee DeportationBisbee DeportationThe Bisbee Deportation was the illegal deportation of about 1,300 striking mine workers, their supporters, and citizen bystanders by 2,000 vigilantes on July 12, 1917. The workers and others were kidnapped in the U.S. town of Bisbee, Arizona and held at a local baseball park. They were then loaded...
- Industrial Workers of the WorldIndustrial Workers of the WorldThe 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...
- Labor spiesLabor spiesLabor spies are persons recruited or employed for the purpose of gathering intelligence, committing sabotage, sowing dissent, or engaging in other similar activities, typically within the context of an employer/labor organization relationship....
- Pinkerton National Detective AgencyPinkerton National Detective AgencyThe Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired...