Jay Fox Papers, 1910-1951

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Cage 172
Jay Fox
Papers, 1910-1951

The papers of American radical Jay Fox were purchased by Washington State University Library as part of a collection of radical books and pamphlets from Douglas Owens in 1971. They were processed by Terry Abraham in March and April of 1976.

Number of Containers: 1
Linear Feet of Shelf Space: .5
Approximate Number of Items: 100

Jay Fox, trade unionist, syndicalist, communist and anarchist, lived more than fifty years in the small farming community of Home, Washington on Puget Sound. Fox, born in 1870, took part in the Haymarket riot while still in his teens. After an active career as a union organizer, which brought him to the Pacific Northwest, he joined the anarchist Mutual Home Colony Association, usually know as the Home Colony. For an interesting view of the life and activities at the colony see Stewart Holbrook's "Anarchists at Home" (American Scholar, 15 (Autumn 1946) 425-438). For a more thorough account of colony's experiences, and a brief biography of Jay Fox, see Charles P. LeWarne's chapter on the Home Colony in his "Communitarian Experiments in Western Washington, 1885-1915" (Unpublished dissertation, University of Washington, 1969).

At Home Fox served as editor of "The Agitator" ,the colony newspaper, a successor to those previously suppressed by the U.S. Post Office. During this period his editorial defense of colonists who were arrested for nude bathing brought him into the public eye when he was prosecuted for "encouraging or advocating disrespect for the law." The activities of Theodore Schroeder and the Free Speech League, predecessor to the American Civil Liberties Union, in Fox's behalf are documented in the Schroeder Papers at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (NUCMC 71-1877). Although an isolated rural area, Home had considerable contact with scores of radical political and social thinkers, including Emma Goldman, James F. Morton, Elbert Hubbard and Fox's old friend from union organizing days, William Z. Foster. His death, in 1961, was within months of Fosters.

The papers consist of correspondence, drafts, notes, membership cards and certificates, newspaper clippings, broadsides and pamphlets by or about Fox. His manuscript autobiography entitled "Syndicalism: its growth and decay" described by Terry Pettus ("Sixty-four years a union man." Our World, a weekly publication of The Daily People's World (February 16, 1951) 4-7), is not among these papers and no other record of it has been found. Some of the books, pamphlets and newspapers acquired by the WSU Library from Douglas Owens may have once been a part of the Home Colony Library, but only the one indicated here has any notation of ownership.

CONTAINER LIST

Folder Description
1 "Dialectic" n.d.
3 l. ms., 2 clippings.
2 "Bunker Hill" n.d.
7 l. ms. (on Montana hotel stationery).
3 [The youth of Home] n.d.
3 l. ms.
4 "Man and his machine" by Jay Fox, ca. 1934?
2 l. typescript.
Also two postcards from Marcus Graham, March 1934, to Jay Fox, re: editorial changes to his article submitted to Man!
5 "The voyage of Columb'" n.d. [a poem] 1 l. typescript.
6 Letter, Ernest Lister, Washington State Governor, to A. B. Bell, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Pierce County, July 22, 1915, re: pardon for Jay Fox.
1 l. typescript (carbon)
7 Letter, J. G. Brown, President, International Union of Shingle Weavers, Sawmill Workers and Woodsmen, "to whom it may concern," March 17, 1914, certifying that Jay Fox is a union representative.
1 l. typescript signed.
Also three organizer certificates from the American Federation of Labor, 1914,1915, and 1917, signed by Samuel Gompers.
8 "The nude and the prudes" by J. F.[Clipping from Home Agitator, 1910, which lead to Fox's arrest]
1 item, tearsheet.
9 "Letters to Jack Lumber" [a series of editorial articles by Fox in The Timberworker, 1914, some with annotations and corrections].
approx. 30 items, clippings.
10 Letter, Jay Fox, to the Editor of the [Tacoma?] Ledger: "The problem of the surplus," May 26, 1932.
1 item, clipping.
11 "History of the Eight-Hour Day" by Jay Fox, Chicago Labor News, September 15, 1916.
1 item, clipping.
12 "I was at Haymarket" by Jay Fox, Our World [supplement to People's World] April 27, 1951.
1 item, clipping.
13 Miscellaneous papers, ca. 1914-1929.
7 items.
Includes carbon of a letter to the Circulation Manager of the Tacoma News Tribune, n.d.; bank statement, December 1929; blank letterheads of The Plumb Plan League and The International Trade Union League, n.d.
14 Writings: stories, letters, articles by David Fox, ca. 1910? [some may be drafts of Jay Fox]
16 items.
15 Marked article: "The Fool" by L. Augustine Motler, The Link, May 1912.
1 item, clipping.
Also clipped poems and package wrapping addressed to Mrs. Cora Fox.
4 items.
16 Membership and business cards of Jay Fox, 1905-1919.
8 items.
17 Handbills and programs of Jay Fox's speeches, 1902-1923.
7 items (two with manuscript notes for speech)
18 I.W.W. handbills, 1917-1960s.
5 items (plus concessionaire tickets)
19 Invitation to Home reunion picnic, Los Angeles, August 1944.
1 item.
20 Photographs:
Free speech demonstration, Vancouver, B. C., January 28, 1912.
postcard, J. H. to M. Salsnes [in Swedish?]
Rioting in Butte, n.d. postcard.
Storefront "Lovell Local 1001, I.W.W." n.d.
Portrait of Jay Fox, ca. 1950
"Spring" art photograph, ca. 1910.
21 "Sixty-four years a union man" [a biography of Jay Fox] by Terry Pettus. Our World, February 16, 195l.
1 item, clipping.
22 Fox, Jay. Roosevelt, Czolgosz and anarchy by Jay Fox and Communism by Henry Addis. N.Y., Published by the New York Anarchists, n.d.
15 p.
23 Fox, Jay. Trade unionism and anarchism, a letter to a brother unionist, by Jay Fox. Chicago, Social Science Press, 1908.
16 p front., port.
24 [Schroeder, Theodore]. The free speech case of Jay Fox. N. Y., Free Speech League, April 1912.
10 p.
Also includes "Intellectual hospitality" by Theodore Schroeder and "Advocating murder" by Sir Leslie Stephen.
25 Wakeman, Thaddeus Burr. Addresses of Thaddeus Burr Wakeman at and in reference to the first Monist Congress at Hamburg, in September 1911. Cos Cob, Conn., Toussaint Farm, 1913.
58 p. front., port. Cover inscription: Home, Washington Library with compliments of Libby Culbertson Macdonald. Oct. 7th, 1914.

Folder	Description
1	"Dialectic" n.d. 3 l. ms., 2 clippings.
2	"Bunker Hill" n.d. 7 l. ms. (on Montana hotel stationery).
3	[The youth of Home] n.d. 3 l. ms.
4	"Man and his machine" by Jay Fox, ca. 1934? 2 l. typescript. Also two postcards from Marcus Graham, March 1934, to Jay Fox, re: editorial changes to his article submitted to Man!
5	"The voyage of Columb'" n.d. [a poem] 1 l. typescript.
6	Letter, Ernest Lister, Washington State Governor, to A. B. Bell, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Pierce County, July 22, 1915, re: pardon for Jay Fox. 1 l. typescript (carbon)
7	Letter, J. G. Brown, President, International Union of Shingle Weavers, Sawmill Workers and Woodsmen, "to whom it may concern," March 17, 1914, certifying that Jay Fox is a union representative. 1 l. typescript signed. Also three organizer certificates from the American Federation of Labor, 1914,1915, and 1917, signed by Samuel Gompers.
8	"The nude and the prudes" by J. F.[Clipping from Home Agitator, 1910, which lead to Fox's arrest] 1 item, tearsheet.
9	"Letters to Jack Lumber" [a series of editorial articles by Fox in The Timberworker, 1914, some with annotations and corrections]. approx. 30 items, clippings.
10	Letter, Jay Fox, to the Editor of the [Tacoma?] Ledger: "The problem of the surplus," May 26, 1932. 1 item, clipping.
11	"History of the Eight-Hour Day" by Jay Fox, Chicago Labor News, September 15, 1916. 1 item, clipping.
12	"I was at Haymarket" by Jay Fox, Our World [supplement to People's World] April 27, 1951. 1 item, clipping.
13	Miscellaneous papers, ca. 1914-1929. 7 items. Includes carbon of a letter to the Circulation Manager of the Tacoma News Tribune, n.d.; bank statement, December 1929; blank letterheads of The Plumb Plan League and The International Trade Union League, n.d.
14	Writings: stories, letters, articles by David Fox, ca. 1910? [some may be drafts of Jay Fox] 16 items.
15	Marked article: "The Fool" by L. Augustine Motler, The Link, May 1912. 1 item, clipping. Also clipped poems and package wrapping addressed to Mrs. Cora Fox. 4 items.
16	Membership and business cards of Jay Fox, 1905-1919. 8 items.
17	Handbills and programs of Jay Fox's speeches, 1902-1923. 7 items (two with manuscript notes for speech)
18	I.W.W. handbills, 1917-1960s. 5 items (plus concessionaire tickets)
19	Invitation to Home reunion picnic, Los Angeles, August 1944. 1 item.
20	Photographs: Free speech demonstration, Vancouver, B. C., January 28, 1912. postcard, J. H. to M. Salsnes [in Swedish?] Rioting in Butte, n.d. postcard. Storefront "Lovell Local 1001, I.W.W." n.d. Portrait of Jay Fox, ca. 1950 "Spring" art photograph, ca. 1910.
21	"Sixty-four years a union man" [a biography of Jay Fox] by Terry Pettus. Our World, February 16, 195l. 1 item, clipping.
22	Fox, Jay. Roosevelt, Czolgosz and anarchy by Jay Fox and Communism by Henry Addis. N.Y., Published by the New York Anarchists, n.d. 15 p.
23	Fox, Jay. Trade unionism and anarchism, a letter to a brother unionist, by Jay Fox. Chicago, Social Science Press, 1908. 16 p front., port.
24	[Schroeder, Theodore]. The free speech case of Jay Fox. N. Y., Free Speech League, April 1912. 10 p. Also includes "Intellectual hospitality" by Theodore Schroeder and "Advocating murder" by Sir Leslie Stephen.
25	Wakeman, Thaddeus Burr. Addresses of Thaddeus Burr Wakeman at and in reference to the first Monist Congress at Hamburg, in September 1911. Cos Cob, Conn., Toussaint Farm, 1913. 58 p. front., port. Cover inscription: Home, Washington Library with compliments of Libby Culbertson Macdonald. Oct. 7th, 1914.