Ira Cross: California Labor Notes, 1815-1960

Summary

Creators:

Cross, Ira B. (Ira Brown), b. 1880

Abstract:

Consists of notes and research materials which were gathered by Ira B. Cross and his research assistants primarily for his book, History of the labor movement in California. Contains the original typescript from 1909-1932, including manuscript corrections, illustrations, and all footnotes as they were written by Cross, only a fraction of which were retained in the published edition.
Research notes contain correspondence, including exchanges with various labor organizers and their families, most notably Astaroth and Burnette Haskell, Frank Roney, and Paul Scharrenberg, along with fan mail and critical analyses of the book by Cross' colleagues. Also contains biographical sketches, including testimonies, clippings, and interviews taken by Cross or his assistants.
Research notes on the history of labor include sections with references to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the U.S. Commission on Migratory Labor, as well as sections on the Building Trades Council of San Francisco, The Federated Trades Council of San Francisco, and the Maritime Trades Council of San Francisco. A card file of newspaper citations arranged by subject and scattered issues of labor newspapers (on microfilm) and clippings includes a variety of California publications and materials from several western states and Canada.

Extent:

Number of containers: 5 cartons, 3 boxes, 8 oversize folders Linear feet: 8

Language:

English

Background

Scope and content:

California Labor Notes consists of notes and research materials dating from 1815 to 1960, which were gathered by Ira B. Cross and his research assistants to complete his book, A History of the Labor Movement in California. Also includes the original typescript from 1909-1932, including handwritten corrections, illustrations, and all footnotes as they were written by Cross; the published edition retained only a fraction of the original notations and illustrations.

Research notes contain correspondence, including exchanges with various labor organizers and their families, most notably Astaroth and Burnette Haskell, Frank Roney, and Paul Scharrenberg, along with fan mail and critical analyses of the book by colleagues. Also contains biographical sketches, comprised of a variety of sources, including testimonies, clippings, and interviews taken by Cross or his assistants.

Research notes focusing on the history of labor include sections with references to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the U.S. Commission on Migratory Labor, as well as sections dedicated to the Building Trades Council of San Francisco, The Federated Trades Council of San Francisco, and the Maritime Trades Council of San Francisco.

Finally, the card file is rich with newspaper citations, arranged by subject, while clippings and labor newspapers (on microfilm) include a variety of California publications and material from several western states and Canada.

Biographical / historical:

Ira B. Cross was born December 1, 1880, in Decatur, Illinois, the son of a working man. Due to the influence of a high school teacher, he decided to go to college, and earned his own way through the University of Wisconsin. He graduated with honors in economics, receiving his A.B. in 1905, and completing his M.A. in the same field in 1906. While he was a student there, he joined the Socialist Party and served as assistant secretary of the National Convention of the Socialist Party in Chicago in 1904.

In 1906, Cross went to Stanford as an instructor in economics while working for his Ph.D., which he received in 1909. His thesis, History of the Labor Movement in California, was enlarged and published by the University of California Press in 1935. While still an instructor at Stanford, Cross became Secretary of the California Industrial Accident Commission and was a special agent for the United States Immigration Commission during 1914-1915.

In spite of his reputation for radical views, Professor Cross was called to the University of California by Benjamin Ide Wheeler in 1914 and taught there until his retirement in 1951. He helped start the Berkeley Police School which has produced a model police force, famous throughout the country. Professor Cross taught courses in labor management during World War I and was also involved in arbitration and strike-settling activities. He was chairman of the Department of Economics during 1919-1920 and 1923-1924.

Ira B. Cross served as vice-president of the American Economic Association in 1925-1926, president of the Pacific Coast Economic Association in 1928, and member of the board of regents of the American Institute of Banking from 1935 to 1960. The University of Wisconsin gave him the LL.D. degree in 1951, and in 1957, he received the LL.D. from the University of California. In 1964, The Ira B. Cross Room was dedicated in Barrows Hall at the University of California, Berkeley.

Acquisition information:

Ira Cross, California Labor Notes, 1815-1960, were given to The Bancroft Library by Ira B. Cross in 1933, with additions made from 1951 to 1953. The manuscript of his book, History of the Labor Movement in California, was given to The Bancroft Library by Paul Schuster Taylor in 1962.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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