2.18.2018

Meet You In Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, And The Bitter Partnership That Transformed America, Standiford - B

                                               "Carnegie and Frick represent the American ethos of limitless possibility more forcefully than any fictional overachieving shoeshine boy or chimney sweep." The title of this book stems from an exchange between the two men in 1919. As Carnegie lay on his deathbed, he wrote a letter seeking a reconciliation  with his former partner. Frick's response was, "Tell him I'll see him in Hell, where we both are going."
                                                When the Carnegie family arrived in Pittsburgh in 1844, twelve -year-old Andrew went to work in a weaving mill. He was a clerk who soon caught the attention of management; he then went on to work for the Pennsylvania RR. By the time he was twenty-four, he was an executive managing the western division of the Pennsy. He profited from an investment in an oil company and founded Cyclops Iron Co. with his brother. He  started in the steel business with the construction of the Edgar Thomson Mill. Henry Clay Frick was American-born and, through a cousin, got into the coking business. He became known as the 'King of Coke' and in 1882, signed a deal whereby he became Carnegie's exclusive supplier. When younger brother, Tom Carnegie, died, Andrew brought in Frick as a partner to run Carnegie Steel. The company became the most successful in the world.
                                                 The summer of 1892 saw an event that would lead to a falling out between the two men and go down as one of the lowest points in American labor history. The contract at the Homestead Works expired and Frick announced the company would no longer negotiate with the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. As was his practice, Carnegie was in Scotland for the summer. In preparation for what he assumed would be a long struggle, Frick hired three hundred Pinkertons.  A headline in the Pittsburgh Post said : IT LOOKS LIKE WAR. Frick locked out the workers on June 30 and shut down the works. When the Pinkertons attempted to land their two barges from the Monongahela on July 6, a day long gun battle erupted. Six workers and two Pinkerton's died and scores were wounded, before the Pinkertons surrendered and were escorted out of Homestead by the sheriff of Allegheny County. Less than a week later, Homestead was occupied by the Pennsylvania National Guard.  Warrants were issued for the arrests of seven of the strike leaders for murder. An anarchist from out of town strode into Frick's office and fired two shots, injuring him. Slowly, the mill came back on line with substitute workers and those who chose to accept the new terms without the union's approval. In October, twenty-seven union leaders were indicted for treason and Frick and a handful of the officers were indicted for murder. In November, the union capitulated and thousands of men returned to work. Three workers were acquitted at their murder trial and all other charges were dropped.
                                                More than half of the states adopted laws prohibiting the hiring of private police during labor disputes. Although the majority of the nation was opposed to Carnegie and Frick, they succeeded in burying the union. Indeed, US Steel wouldn't recognize a labor union until 1937. The strike was the beginning of the end of Carnegie's and Frick's relationship, as Carnegie attempted to distance himself from the violence. The final break came in 1900 when Frick Coke and Carnegie Steel were merged and Frick walked away with $31m. Two years later, Carnegie accepted JPMorgan's offer to create USSteel and walked away with $225m. The two extremely philanthropic men died two weeks apart in 1919. The industry they had created would dominate America and the world until the 1960's. The charities they created and nurtured are still prospering today. Once again, thanks to Wendell Erwin for this recommendation.

                                               

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