James Eads How (1874 - 1930
) was an American
organizer of the
hobo
A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works.
E ...
community in the early 20th century. He was heir of a wealthy
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
family but chose to live as a hobo and to help the
homeless
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
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
The International Brotherhood Welfare Association (IBWA) was a mutual aid society for hobos founded in 1905–1906. It was the second largest after the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). It was started by James Eads How who had inherited a for ...
, a union for
migrant workers
A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work.
Migrant workers who work outsi ...
which published ''
Hobo News
''Hobo News'', alternately ''"Hobo" News'', was an early 20th-century newspaper for homeless migrant workers ( hobos). It was published in St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati by the International Brotherhood Welfare Association (IBWA) and its fo ...
'', 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 Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...
. His mother, Eliza Eads How, was the daughter of
James Buchanan Eads
Captain James Buchanan Eads (May 23, 1820 – March 8, 1887) was a world-renowned American civil engineer and inventor, holding more than 50 patents.
Eads' great Mississippi River Bridge at St. Louis was designated a National Historic Landmar ...
, a successful civil engineer and inventor who had built the
Eads Bridge
The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. It is located on the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing, to the north, and t ...
. Even as a child he preferred a simple life without the servants his family could easily afford. How studied
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, first at
Meadville Theological School
The Meadville Lombard Theological School is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
History
Meadville Lombard is a result of a merger in the 1930s between two institutions, a Unitarian seminary and a Universalist seminary.
M ...
, a
Unitarian school in
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...
. 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
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, where he tried but failed to found a
monastic order
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...
, The Brotherhood of the Daily Life. He later went to
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and joined
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
's
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fa ...
, at which time he also became a
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
(which he remained for the rest of his life). He then studied medicine at the
College of Physicians & Surgeons in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
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 socialism
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capi ...
and
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean envir ...
.
In addition to advocating for 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 (July 31, 1889 – October 8, 1986) was an early American sociologist who studied hobos, urban culture, and work culture.
Biography
Anderson studied at the University of Chicago under Robert E. Park and Ernest Burgess, whose Con ...
, describes how fully How immersed himself in the hobo lifestyle and how seriously How took his work:
International Brotherhood Welfare Association
Central to How's work was his brainchild, the
International Brotherhood Welfare Association
The International Brotherhood Welfare Association (IBWA) was a mutual aid society for hobos founded in 1905–1906. It was the second largest after the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). It was started by James Eads How who had inherited a for ...
(IBWA), a sort of union for the hobos with headquarters in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
.
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 lessons in social science, industrial law, public speaking, job searching, and anything else that might 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
The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses.
An eight-hour work day has its origins in the 16 ...
, pensions, and unemployment. The ensuing discussions were known to be very lively. They also served as community meeting places where the homeless workers could express themselves.
[ ] Hobo College 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
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
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'', alternately ''"Hobo" News'', was an early 20th-century newspaper for homeless migrant workers ( hobos). It was published in St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati by the International Brotherhood Welfare Association (IBWA) and its fo ...
'', 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 (July 31, 1889 – October 8, 1986) was an early American sociologist who studied hobos, urban culture, and work culture.
Biography
Anderson studied at the University of Chicago under Robert E. Park and Ernest Burgess, whose Con ...
, 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 projects 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 critics 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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law enacted on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code (War ...
, and government attacks on the larger
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...
(IWW), the less radical IBWA and the ''Hobo News'' also came under scrutiny. The IBWA often pointed out that it was distinct from the IWW, though somewhat supportive of the other organization. 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 is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...
laws, rather than direct action and sabotage.
Other
How became mentor of
Ben Reitman __NOTOC__
Ben Lewis Reitman M.D. (1879–1943) was an American anarchist and physician to the poor ("the hobo doctor"). He is best remembered today as one of radical Emma Goldman's lovers.
Reitman was a flamboyant, eccentric character. Emma Goldm ...
, who said the first time he went to an 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 disagreeing 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 was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by Ohio businessman 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 State ...
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
Silver Lake
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
, in 1925-26. It was designated a
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.
History
The Historic-Cult ...
in 2007.
How did not stop his social work, however. The couple divorced two years before How's death.
Death
In July 1930, How fainted in
Cincinnati Union Station
Cincinnati Union Terminal is an intercity train station and museum center in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Commonly abbreviated as CUT, or by its Amtrak station code, CIN, the terminal is served by Amtrak's ''Cardinal'' line, ...
and was taken care of by his friend and attorney
Nicholas Klein. He received medical care but died of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
and starvation two weeks later, on July 22, 1930, at age 56.
source
, age 61 is probably wrong. How was buried in
Bellefontaine Cemetery
Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the ...
in St. Louis.
Notes
Bibliography
* Reprint from
Burgess __NOTOC__
Burgess may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Burgess (given name), a list of people
Places
* Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community
* Burgess, Missouri, U ...
Papers,
Regenstein Library
The Joseph Regenstein Library, commonly known as "The Reg" is the main library of the University of Chicago, named after industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Regenstein. It is one of the largest repositories of books in the world and is noted f ...
, Department of Special Collections,
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
(box 127, folder 6, document 126), unpublished document.
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External links
“Hobo” News Digital Collectiona
St. Louis Public Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:How, James Eads
American anti-poverty advocates
Street newspaper people
American philanthropists
1874 births
1930 deaths
Hoboes
Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery
Harvard University alumni
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni