The founders of the IBEW, St Louis Convention 1891

The Ibew was founded at the first convention of St Louis, MO, in 1891. Ten delegates were sent to represent nine local unions. All of them were electricians who had their hands on wires and power poles at a time when work conditions and pay were dangerously precarious.

From left to right and top to bottom:

Kelly, Hartung, Sutter, Berlovitz, Miller, Heizelman, Finnell, Fisher, Dorsey.

Many of them were second generation immigrants from Europe. Some were raised on farms and pursued travelling and a better life in the electrical trade. Most of them were from the Midwest and six of them were members of St Louis AFL local 5221. Together, they envisioned to provide electrical workers with nation wide representation and bargaining power.

In 1891, the United States were undergoing rapid modernization. Electrical service had only been established in 1884 and the South was experiencing the Reconstruction in the wake of the Civil War. Only twenty five years after the Emancipation Declaration, Black Americans and other minorities were still excluded from the skilled trades and union representation.

It is in this context that these ten delegates laid the groundwork for the IBEW to improve the welfare and work conditions of all electrical workers in North America for the decades to come.

The boarding house where the First Convention was held in St Louis is now called the Henry Miller Museum and retraces the history of the IBEW.

Henry Miller was born in 1858 in Texas from German parents and was raised in a politically progressive community. He hit the road by the age of 14 and started to work for various utility companies around the country, where he sharpened his vision of a nation wide organization for electrical workers.

A founding member of St Louis local 5221, he was elected first “Grand President” of the National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers at the St Louis Convention. His time at the head of the NBEW was decisive but short lived. By 1893, an economic depression hit the US economy and Miller was blamed for the early struggles of the NBEW locals. He stepped down in 1894 and hit the road again.

Two years later, at the age of 38, Miller climbed on a pole after a storm had knocked off power in Washington DC. He was hit by 2,200 volts and propelled on the ground. Miller died tools in hands as a working man, an organizer and a visionary for the IBEW.

J.T Kelly was born in Pennsylvania and moved west to pursue a career as an inside wireman. He met Miller in St Louis where they organized together the first Convention. He was elected first secretary-treasurer of the NBEW. He drafted the Union constitution, oversaw the admission of new union locals and was the first editor of the Electrical Worker publication in 1893.

Later, he did not hesitate to mortgage his house to ensure the NBEW stayed afloat in those hard first years. He also organized several union locals, mostly west of the Mississippi. He eventually returned to his tools as an inside wireman and retired in 1930.

Joseph Berlovitz was a lineman from St Louis and served as a proxy to represent the electricians of Philadelphia, who could not send a delegate in person. Berlovitz introduced two motions that were unanimously accepted: the first was to name the new union the “National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers”, the second was to be chartered by the American Federation of Labor (AFL).

Charles Sutter was an inside wireman from St Louis and the treasurer of AFL local 5221. He served as a proxy for the electricians of Duluth, Minn. He introduced the first drawing of the clamping fist that became the IBEW trademark. Sutter went on the start his own electrical business and eventually joined the board of directors of NECA.

Thomas Finnell was born in Michigan from Irish immigrants. He worked in Chicago as a lineman and was elected third grand vice president at the St Louis Convention. He kept on working to pay for his travelling and organisation efforts and founded local unions in Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Missouri. He represented Chicago local 9 at several International Conventions.

William Heden was born in Iowa and moved to St Louis where he worked as a cable splicer. He was a founding member of AL local 5221 and went on to work as foreman

in New York and New Jersey. He stood strong during a strike in 1902 where he refused to have scabs replace his crew.

Harvey Fisher was from Evansville, Indiana, where he worked for the city utility company. He went on to work as a lineman and later as an inside wireman up until his retirement at the age of 78. He continued his organization efforts and became a charter member of Evansville Local 16, still active to this day.

James Dorsey was a telegraph lineman from St Louis, and served as a proxy for the electricians of Milwaukee, who did not send a delegate in person. He went on to move to New Orleans where he became a member of Local 4.

Edward Charles Hartung was born in Pennsylvania from German parents in 1860. He worked as an inside wireman in Indianapolis. He was a charter member of Indianapolis local 10. He switched to carpentry later in life.

Frederick Heizelman was born in Ohio from Swiss immigrants. He was elected second grand vice president and was a founding member of Toledo local 8.

Victor Fremont for Renew 613.

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