Eduard Carl Fimmen (18 June 1881, Nieuwer-Amstel – 14 December 1942,

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D. The na ...

), also known as Edo Fimmen, was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

ist.

Early life

Fimmen was born in Nieuwer-Amstel on 18 June 1881. His father was a merchant, Eduard Hermann Johann Fimmen, and his mother was Therese Ansoul. They were both of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

origin. He married Julie Lucie Cornelia (Nelly) Michen on 18 January 1906, and they were to have a daughter and son. In December he met the German journalist Alida Kammerer by whom he had two daughters while remaining married to his wife. From 1894 to 1889, Fimmen attended the Amsterdam Trade Public School (1894–1899). Fimmen, developed a talent for languages, writing and speaking French, German and English fluently. He was able to earn money as a translator following his father's death when he was sixteen. Following a tour of duty in the

Dutch Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

he was drawn to the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

, through Christian commitment rather than a liking of military organisation. After meeting Lodewijk van Mierop, a member of the

Dutch Reformed church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

and Menno Huizinga, a

baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

- both

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 th ...

students - he became involved in a

Christian Anarchist Christian anarchism is a Christian movement in political theology that claims anarchism is inherent in Christianity and the Gospels. It is grounded in the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately ans ...

magazine ''Vrede'' (peace) and the Rein Leven Movement, having his letters published under the pseudonym ''Edo''. The group brought together young men of varying backgrounds, in term of education, employment, knowledge and faith, but who shared a desire for complete purity of body and soul. Fimmen and Huizinga were principle editors to this group and fimmen devoted his spare time from 1901 - 1908 to the group. In particular they agitated against

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

. For most of this period he chaired the Amsterdam meetings and bi-annual conferences. However, from 1905 disagreements arose over "free" and "bourgeois" marriages. By 1908 Fimmen was amongst a group who considered the movement as no longer

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...

and after rowing with Meirop he left. Fimmen had also been active in the Society for the Suppression of the Neo-Malthusian using the names Nel Jaccard and Edo for articles in ''Tegen Leugen en Geweld'' (Against Lies and Violence), edited by Van Mierop. He translated material from the Conference of International Anti-militarist League (26–28 June 1904) held in Amsterdam. Encouraged by

Domela Nieuwenhuis Ferdinand Jacobus Domela Nieuwenhuis (31 December 1846 – 18 November 1919) was a Dutch socialist politician and later a social anarchist and anti-militarist. He was a Lutheran preacher who, after he lost his faith, started a political fight ...

he chaired the last day of the conference where the Christian anarchists - as socialists, Christians and revolutionaries -advocated

Conscientious objection A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objecti ...

and a general strike in the event of war.

Trade Union career

Fimmen worked as a clerk, probably for the American Petroleum Company and during the 1903 strike joined the National Union of Commercial and Office Employees. Allied to G L Niermeyer, he was elected secretary. He was then obliged to give up his job, and supported himself through translation work for J. C. Dalmeyer. On 22 October 1905 he was one of the founder members of the General Dutch Union of Trade and Office Workers. He was the treasurer from 1905 to 1907, and then Secretary from 1907 - 1916. He also edited ''Onze Strijd'' (Our Struggle) from 1909 - 1916. They successfully campaigned for equal pay for men and women in 1909. From 1919 to 1942, Fimmen served as General Secretary of the

International Transport Workers' Federation The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2017 the ITF had 677 member organizations in 149 countries, representing a combined membership ...

. In the early phases of World War II in Europe, he organized couriers for Soviet military intelligence and also assisted the British.

Books

Fimmen's Translations into Dutch

From German * ''De kunst van het arbeiden'',

Carl Hilty Carl Andreas Hilty (28 February 1833 – 12 October 1909) was a Swiss lawyer, professor of constitutional law, politician, philosopher, lay theologian and writer. Life Family background, education and early career Hilty was born in the sm ...

, (1903) * ''Geluk'', Carl Hilty, (1903) From English: * ''Nyria '', Mrs. Campbell Pread, (1904); From the French: * ''Wat volwassen meisjes wel eens mogen weten'', Ch. Burlureaux, (1905),

Books by Fimmen

* ''Labour's Alternative: The United States of Europa or Europe Limited'' (1924) Labour Publishing Company, Londo

Early life

Trade Union career

Books

Fimmen's Translations into Dutch

Books by Fimmen

References

Further reading