Eugene V. Debs was born on November 5, 1855, in Terre Haute, Indiana. He attended public schools in Terre Haute until the age of 14 when he started working as a firemen on the railroads. When Debs was not working, he was attending night classes at a local business college. After working as a firemen for four years, he went to work for the wholesale grocery store of Hulman & Cox as a billing clerk. In 1875, Debs joined the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. He continued to work for Hulman & Cox throughout the day, and used the money from that job to help the union at night. This position in the Brotherhood would be the start of his colorful political career.
In 1879, Debs was elected to his first of two terms as the City Clerk of Terre Haute as a Democrat. Next, in 1884, he was elected as the state representative to the Indiana General Assembly as a Democrat. A year later, he married Kate Metzel. He stayed with and loved her until the day he died, but they had no children together to carry on his legacy. Together, they built a home at 451 N 8th Street in Terre Haute. The home still stands today and is a National Historic Landmark, as well as the Debs Museum.
Furthermore, in 1893 Debs organized the first industrial union in the United States, the American Railway Union. In July 1894, Debs and the American Railway Union were involved in the Pullman Boycott and Strike. This boycott consisted of about 250,000 workers refusing to run railways that had Pullman carts, because George Pullman refused to help change the low wages and long hours of the union workers. As a result of the strike, Debs and other American Railway Union leaders were jailed until November 1895.
Debs had many Socialist political ideals. Among these ideals were women having the right to vote, strict child labor laws, protecting workers rights to join unions, and workplace safety. Throughout his career, he would run for President five times (1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920). One of his most famous campaigns was in 1908 when he rode on the Red Special train. The train traveled all around the country, and he campaigned to crowds about his ideas of a better society. Although, Debs did not win any of his first four elections, he was a memorable candidate, and his ideas were said to be ahead of his time.
Moreover, Debs continued to deliver speeches. In 1918, in Canton, Ohio, Debs was giving an antiwar (WWI) speech. He was later arrested and convicted in Ohio under the espionage law. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. It was during this time that he made one of his most daring moves, he ran for President on the Socialist ticket in 1920 while he was in prison. He conducted his entire campaign from inside of the prison. In the end, he was defeated by Republican Warren Harding, but he managed to still receive around one million votes. Once Harding took office, he released Debs from prison, allowing him to return to Terre Haute.
Once Debs returned to Terre Haute, he spent the remainder of his life in poor health. He still managed to deliver speeches from time to time, and he never gave up on his dreams for a better America. In the end, though, Debs died on October 20, 1926. It is kind of interesting that his life was ending at about the same time that Tom Roznowski predicts Debs' hometown of Terre Haute is starting to die.
In 1879, Debs was elected to his first of two terms as the City Clerk of Terre Haute as a Democrat. Next, in 1884, he was elected as the state representative to the Indiana General Assembly as a Democrat. A year later, he married Kate Metzel. He stayed with and loved her until the day he died, but they had no children together to carry on his legacy. Together, they built a home at 451 N 8th Street in Terre Haute. The home still stands today and is a National Historic Landmark, as well as the Debs Museum.
Furthermore, in 1893 Debs organized the first industrial union in the United States, the American Railway Union. In July 1894, Debs and the American Railway Union were involved in the Pullman Boycott and Strike. This boycott consisted of about 250,000 workers refusing to run railways that had Pullman carts, because George Pullman refused to help change the low wages and long hours of the union workers. As a result of the strike, Debs and other American Railway Union leaders were jailed until November 1895.
Debs had many Socialist political ideals. Among these ideals were women having the right to vote, strict child labor laws, protecting workers rights to join unions, and workplace safety. Throughout his career, he would run for President five times (1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920). One of his most famous campaigns was in 1908 when he rode on the Red Special train. The train traveled all around the country, and he campaigned to crowds about his ideas of a better society. Although, Debs did not win any of his first four elections, he was a memorable candidate, and his ideas were said to be ahead of his time.
Moreover, Debs continued to deliver speeches. In 1918, in Canton, Ohio, Debs was giving an antiwar (WWI) speech. He was later arrested and convicted in Ohio under the espionage law. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. It was during this time that he made one of his most daring moves, he ran for President on the Socialist ticket in 1920 while he was in prison. He conducted his entire campaign from inside of the prison. In the end, he was defeated by Republican Warren Harding, but he managed to still receive around one million votes. Once Harding took office, he released Debs from prison, allowing him to return to Terre Haute.
Once Debs returned to Terre Haute, he spent the remainder of his life in poor health. He still managed to deliver speeches from time to time, and he never gave up on his dreams for a better America. In the end, though, Debs died on October 20, 1926. It is kind of interesting that his life was ending at about the same time that Tom Roznowski predicts Debs' hometown of Terre Haute is starting to die.
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