Twelve Janesville area retirees were interviewed as part of the City of Janesville Bicentennial Oral History Project in 1976. In their interviews, the retirees described their work experiences and union organizing activities at General Motors, Fisher Auto Body, Rock River Woolen Mills, Parker Pen, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. They also shared memories of growing up in Janesville, family background, and social life during the first half of the 20th century.
Union Leaders – Oral Histories
Eugene Osmond
Eugene Osmond was born in Janesville in 1908. He worked for forty years at the Chevrolet plant. He was one of the earliest members of the United Auto Workers at the Chevrolet plant; he served as a trustee and a frequent member of the bargaining committee. During the union's formative period, Osmond devoted much time and energy to the recruitment of new members. His tapes contain much information on the nature of work at Chevrolet and on the formation of Local 121 of the UAW.
James (Jack) Johnson
James V. (Jack) Johnston was born in Chicago in 1906. The family moved to Fontana in 1907. He worked primarily with Fisher Auto Body from 1923 to 1964, holding a variety of jobs. He was an early member of UAW Local 95 and served as vice-president during the union's formative years. His tapes contain much information on a variety of work experiences at Fisher and on the early development of Local 95.
Ralph Hilkin
Ralph Hilkin was born near Dubuque, Iowa. He moved to Janesville circa 1930 to work at Fisher Auto Body where he became an early rank and file member of Local 95. After World War II, he joined the Janesville Fire Department. Hilkin played a key role in transforming the Firefighters Association into an effective labor organization. His tapes contain much information on his early years at Fisher and on his service with the fire department especially concerning his union activities.
Don Dooley
Don Dooley was born in Janesville in 1909. From 1927 to 1969, he worked for Fisher Auto Body spending much of that time in the paint department. Dooley joined the United Auto Workers in 1935 and held several offices including the presidency of UAW Local 95. His tapes include much information concerning work at Fisher, especially in the paint department, and on the early development of Local 95.
Gerald H. Litney
Gerald H. Litney was born in Janesville in 1902. He was an employee of the Rock River Woolen Mills during the 1920s and ‘30s. Litney played a key role in organizing a local of the Textile Workers Union of America at Rock River Woolen. In 1939 he moved to Chicago where he assumed a position of the staff of the TWUA. His tapes contain valuable information on the nature of work at the Rock River Woolen Mills and on the organization of the TWUA local there.
Lou Adkins
Lou Adkins was born in Indianapolis in 1899. He came to Janesville with his father in 1920 to work at Samson Tractor Company; he spent most working years at Fisher. Adkins was one of the original cadre of organizers for Local 95 of the UAW. He served on Local 95's shop committee and as president of the joint Local 95-Local 121 union during World War II. His tapes include valuable recollections of the earliest UAW organizing activity at the Fisher plant.
Glen Swinbank
Glenn Swinbank was born in New Diggings, Wisconsin, in 1907. He came to Janesville to work at Chevrolet in 1928. He served as recording secretary of UAW Local 121 during the 1930s. His tapes contain much information on his work at Chevrolet and on the early formation of Local 121.
Hugo Preuss
Hugo Preuss was born in Janesville in 1903. From 1919 he worked as an electrician in the Janesville area, including a stint with the electrical contractor for the GM plant constructed circa 1923. Preuss was an early member of the Janesville local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. His tapes contain information on the nature of early electrical work and on the development of the IBEW in the Janesville area.
John Scott
John S. Scott, Sr., was born in Coweta, Oklahoma; he moved to Janesville from Chicago in 1948. Scott was a long-time employee of the Chicago and Northwestern railroad. In 1961, he became one of the first black employees for GM in Janesville. His tapes include much information on being black at Fisher and in Janesville, on his railroad work, and on a fascinating set of experiences as a youthful hobo during the Depression.
John Wesley VanHorn
John Wesley Van Horn moved with his family to Janesville in 1920 from his birthplace in Boulder, Colorado. He worked with Fisher Auto Body, primarily on the trim line, from 1926 – 1947. He joined the UAW in 1933 and served as president of Local 95 from 1935 to 1938, and again after World War II. He left Fisher to work for Fairbanks-Morse in Beloit. His tapes contain much information on the nature of work at Fisher and on the early organization of Local 95.
James Wells
James Wells was born in Janesville, although he spent much of his youth in Colorado where his father worked as an electrician. Wells went to work for Parker Pen in the early war years. He became active in union affairs at Parker and played a key role in shifting that local from an AFL federal local to membership in the United Rubber Workers. His tapes also contain much information on the development of the Teamsters in Janesville during the 1930s
Harry Johnson
Harry Johnson was born in Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1907. He moved to Janesville in 1923 to work at Chevrolet. He was apparently the first UAW member in the Chevrolet plant. He served as financial secretary of Local 121 during the formative years. His tapes contain important recollections concerning early work experiences at Chevrolet, work with the GM World's Fair exhibit in 1933, and on early membership of Local 121.
Thank you to the following for assistance with this project:
Janesville Bicentennial Heritage Committee sponsored the original project in 1976. Clem Imhoff conducted the interviews. The Harris Reporting Company of Janesville transcribed the original audiocassette tapes in 2009. The Hedberg Public Library Foundation, Janesville's UAW Local 95, Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, Commercial Bank of Janesville, and Amy Dooley provided financial support for the transcription. Prairie Lakes Library System and Recollection Wisconsin provide support for online access.