Scope and Contents:
This collection contains four pages of a typescript titled "Interview with George Schilling." Schilling was the secretary of the State Board of Labor Statistics under Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld. The interview pages are annotated for clarity in what may be Schilling's hand. Also included with the typescript is a photograph of Schilling, which was added to the collection in 1974.
George Schilling (1850-1936) was best known for his work as an American union leader. In this capacity, he worked for the Chicago-based German language socialist newspaper The Arbeiter Zeitung, served as a member of several unions, and was a notable supporter of the Labor Party in Illinois. Throughout his time as a labor activist, Schilling was appointed to two separate labor leadership positions within the State of Illinois — he was first appointed as secretary of the State Board of Labor Statistics in 1893 by Governor Altgeld and was later appointed as a member of the Chicago Board of Local Improvements in 1903 (he would eventually serve as its president from 1905-1907).
Topics covered in the four-page typescript "Interview with George Schilling" include Schilling's impressions of Governor Altgeld, his thoughts on the Pinkertons and their efforts to infiltrate Chicago labor unions, and the public perception of anarchists as expressed through various Chicago publications. The interviewer and date of the interview could not be determined, though the interview appears to have been conducted after 1885.
The Library acquired this collection prior to 1974.
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