police commissioner edwin upton curtis took a firm stand in the boston police strike.
who took a firm stand in the boston police strike?
police commissioner edwin upton curtis
boston police strike









































in the boston police strike, boston police officers went on strike on september 9, 1919. they sought recognition for their trade union and improvements in wages and working conditions. police commissioner edwin upton curtis denied that police officers had any right to form a union, much less one affiliated with a larger organization like the american federation of labor (afl). attempts at reconciliation between the commissioner and the police officers, particularly on the part of boston's mayor andrew james peters, failed.
boston police strike
coolidge himself later said, "no doubt it was the police strike in boston that brought me into national prominence." in a post-election congratulatory telegram president wilson wrote: "i congratulate you upon your election as a victory for law and order. when that is the issue, all americans must stand together." his role in the strike, however limited, became a prominent feature of his resume as he sought higher office. according to one obituary, "the boston police strike of 1919 ... brought him national prominence and the nomination for the vice presidency" in 1920. when he succeeded to the presidency in 1923 upon the death of warren harding, the "new york times" headlined its biography: "coolidge firmness won recognition; his suppression of the boston police strike made him a national figure". coolidge's political rivals interpreted his role differently. in 1925, u.s. senator robert la follette of wisconsin said that coolidge's failure to intervene in that year's coal strike mirrored his 1919 actions when he "persistently refused to act upon the requests of the mayor of boston for assistance until riot and bloodshed had aroused the entire state. then when order had been restored by the efforts of mayor peters and the storrow committee coolidge sent in the militia and claimed full credit for restoring 'law and order'."
boston police strike