Warren Stanford Stone (1 February 1860 – 12 June 1925) was a railway worker who rose to head the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is a labor union founded in Marshall, Michigan, on 8 May 1863 as the Brotherhood of the Footboard. It was the first permanent trade organization for railroad workers in the US. A year lat ...
in the United States from 1903 to 1925. He was unusual as a labor leader in that he did not believe in compulsory union membership and was comfortable with "labor capitalism". He supported a radical plan in which workers in an industry would take one-third of the profits, the other thirds going to capital and the public. By the end of his tenure the Brotherhood controlled investments worth over $100 million.
Early years
Warren Stanford Stone was born on 1 February 1860 on a farm near
Ainsworth
Ainsworth may refer to:
Places
;Canada
*Ainsworth Hot Springs, British Columbia
;United Kingdom
*Ainsworth, Greater Manchester, England
;United States
* Ainsworth, Indiana
*Ainsworth, Iowa
*Ainsworth, Nebraska
*Ainsworth, Wisconsin
*Ainsworth, Wa ...
, Washington County, Iowa.
He attended
Western College, Iowa.
When Stone completed his academic education in May 1879, he considered studying to become a surgeon, while his father wanted him to become a lawyer.
Instead of taking either course, he started work on a railway.
He obtained a job as a locomotive fireman with the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.
At the end ...
in 1879, based in
Eldon, Iowa
Eldon is a city in Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 783 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the site of the small Carpenter Gothic style house that has come to be known as the ''American Gothic'' House. Artist Grant Wo ...
.
He was promoted to engineman five years later.
He spent a further nineteen years in this position.
In 1884 he married Carrie E. Newell. They had no children.
Labor leader
In August 1903 Stone was elected grand chief engineer of the
International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to succeed
Peter M. Arthur, who had died unexpectedly.
Stone was a Republican but had progressive views. Several U.S. presidents offered him political appointments, but he refused them.
Stone believed that if a worker "wants to join a union, all right, but it is contrary to the principles of free government and the Constitution of the United States . . . to make him join."
He had no problem with "labor capitalism", where union members would invest their savings to achieve the maximum return, even if that meant investing in non-union enterprises.
Stone was proposed as a challenger to
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers (; January 27, 1850December 13, 1924) was a British-born American cigar maker, labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as the organization's ...
, President of the
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...
at that organization's Chicago conference in January 1920.
Gompers believed the federation should take a non-socialist approach in representing wage-earners, campaigning for better wages, better hours, better working conditions and the unfettered right to strike. Stone supported the radical
Glenn E. Plumb plan for tripartite control of the railway industry by labor, capital and the public, and supported similar plans for other industries.
Stone appeared on the cover of ''
Time magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...
'' on 10 March 1924.
Stone was one of the main supporters of the
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
Active parties
* Progressive Party, Brazil
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* Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus
* Dominica Progressive Party
* Progressive Party (Iceland)
* Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...
that backed Senator
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...
as candidate for President of the United States in 1924. In June 1924 the triennial convention of the Brotherhood created the office of President and elected Stone to this position.
He was succeeded as grand chief engineer by L. G. Gritting.
Financier
![Time Magazine cover Warren S](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Time_Magazine_cover_Warren_S._Stone.jpg)
Stone was a financier as well as a labor leader. Under his leadership the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers engaged in a wide range of financial activities in banks, trust companies and other business ventures.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' Cooperative Bank was formed in Cleveland, Ohio in November 1920, and took over $1 million in deposits in the first two months.
Based on this success, the Brotherhood opened a number of banks in different cities. To manage its investments the Brotherhood established the Brotherhood Holding Company in 1922 and the Brotherhood Investment Company in 1923.
It was on Stone’s initiative that the 22-story Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' Bank building was erected, completed just before his death. The building was owned by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and leased to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Co-Operatlve National Bank.
Stone and other members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers became owners of the Coal River Collieries, and Stone became chairman of the board of directors of the mine. A dispute arose with
John L. Lewis
John Llewellyn Lewis (February 12, 1880 – June 11, 1969) was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from 1920 to 1960. A major player in the history of coal mining, he was the d ...
, president of the
United Mine Workers of America
The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...
. Lewis claimed that Stone was closing mines and throwing miners out of work rather than pay the union scale. Stone refuted this, saying the unions had not renewed their agreement, but the mines were being worked on a cooperative plan. He said "We feel sure there are no better-satisfied men employed anywhere than in the Coal River Collieries."
Death and legacy
Warren Stanford Stone died on 12 June 1925 of
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...
in a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.
At the time of his death, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers had majority interests in enterprises with assets of approximately $150,000,000.
Throughout his tenure as head of the railway engineers, they had never had to call a strike.
Stone was succeeded as president by
William B. Prenter.
Alvanley Johnston became grand chief engineer.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Warren Stanford
1860 births
1925 deaths
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen people
People from Ainsworth, Iowa
Coe College alumni
Deaths from nephritis