Scope and Contents:
This collection includes a typescript copy of a speech given by Tom Mooney in Centralia, Illinois, on September 23, 1939. Mooney gave this speech at a reception thrown in his honor eight months after his release from prison.
Tom Mooney (1882-1942) was an American union organizer and political activist who was convicted of murder in connection to the July 22, 1916, Preparedness Day Parade bombing in San Francisco, California. The parade was organized in support of US entry into World War I. During the parade, a bomb detonated, killing ten people and wounding forty others. Mooney’s conviction and imprisonment resulted in protests, as many believed he was wrongfully imprisoned. The governor of California pardoned Mooney in 1939 due to evidence of perjury and false testimony at the trial.
This collection consists of a speech given by Tom Mooney on September 23, 1939, in Centralia, Illinois. This speech is printed from typescript on onionskin stock. In his speech, Mooney thanked those who helped organize his reception and “the workers and farmers and liberty-loving people of Centralia and the State of Illinois” for supporting him during his imprisonment and fight for freedom. He also commented that the reception was not just for him, but for the larger cause of labor and democracy.
The Library purchased this collection in 2025 with the support of the Bruce C. Creamer Fund.
Subjects (links to similar collections)
Submit request (Aeon)
