Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, founded in 1863, recognized the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen in 1874. The combined Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (BLF & E) represented a wide spectrum of railroad occupations in labor negotiations. In 1969, it merged with other industry unions to form the United Transportation Union.

Born to Samuel and Ella (Oliphant) Carter in Austin, Texas, William Samuel Carter (1859-1923) grew up herding cattle in Jollyville before attending the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A & M University). In 1879, he became a fireman for the Central Market Railway (later the Beaumont Division of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway), and the next year, he married Mary Evelyn Gorsuch, with whom he had three children. After her death in 1892, Carter married Julia I. Cross in 1902, and the couple bore three daughters. Initiated into the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen’s Alamo Lodge #263 in San Antonio in 1887, Carter served as the national magazine editor and manager (1895-1903), grand secretary and treasurer (1904-1908), president (1909-1922), and manager of the research department (1922-1923). From 1918 to 1920, he was also the only director of the U. S. Railroad Administration’s Division of Labor.

Sources:

Carter, William Samuel. Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed May 10, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fca74 .

Brother Carter Called by Death. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen’s Magazine 74 (1923), p. 155-159.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was founded on December 1, 1873, at Port Jervis, New York, to provide mutual support for railroad firemen. The Brotherhood initially emphasized insurance, but by the late nineteenth century had branched out into labor-management relations.

At the turn of the century, the organization changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (BLF & E) after permitting engineers to join its ranks. In 1969, the union merged with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the United Transportation Union.

Historical Background

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was founded on December 1, 1873 at Jervis, New York, to provide mutual support for railroad firemen. The Brotherhood early on emphasized insurance, although in the late nineteenth century it became involved in labor/management relations. By the turn of the century, the organization also had changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, thereby permitting locomotive engineers to hold membership. In 1969, it joined with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the United Transportation Union.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was founded on December 1, 1873, at Port Jervis, New York, to provide mutual support for railroad firemen. The Brotherhood initially emphasized insurance, but by the late nineteenth century had branched out into labor-management relations.

At the turn of the century, the organization changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen (BLFE) after permitting engineers to join its ranks. In 1969, the union merged with the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Switchmen's Union of North America to form the United Transportation Union.