Austin B. Garretson

Austin Bruce Garretson
A. B. Garretson from "The Pageant of America" Collection / v.5 - The epic of industry
Born	(1856-09-04)4 September 1856 Winterset, Iowa
Died	27 February 1931(1931-02-27) (aged 74) Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Nationality	American
Occupation	Labor leader

Austin Bruce Garretson (4 September 1856 – 27 February 1931) was an American labor leader who was head of the Order of Railway Conductors from 1906 to 1919. He gained national prominence in 1916 when he averted a nationwide railroad strike in exchange for an eight-hour day with time-and-a-half overtime pay.

Austin Bruce Garretson was born in Winterset, Iowa on 4 September 1856. His father was Nathan Garretson, a lawyer and a Quaker who firmly believed in the importance of practical skills. After Austin had been educated at the school in Osceola, Iowa his father apprenticed him as a wheelwright. He obtained a job as a brakeman on New Virginia line, later part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. After four years Garretson became a conductor, and held this post until 1881. He then moved to Denison, Texas, where he found work with the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad.

In 1884 Garretson became a member of the Lone Star Division 53 of the Order of Railway Conductors, and became active in union work. In 1885 he was the local's delegate to the 18th national convention of the Order, held in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1887 he was elected grand senior conductor, unpaid, and from then until 1919 held office in the union. In 1888 he moved to San Luis Potosí in Mexico, working for the National Railroad of Mexico, and then to Jimulco where he worked for the Mexican Central Railway. He returned to the United States in 1889.

In 1890 Garretson was one of the leaders of the progressive faction that transformed the Order of Railway Conductors from a fraternal and beneficiary association into one that protected its members and negotiated for better pay and conditions. That year Edgar E. Clark was elected Grand Chief Conductor of the Order. Clark would head the union until 1906. In 1894 Austin B. Garretson was elected grand senior conductor of the Order, while C. H. Wilkins was assistant grand chief conductor. Garretson and Wilkins later exchanged positions. Garretson was also president of the union's mutual benefit department. He was a member of the executive committee of the American Railroad Employees and Investors association, and a member of the National Civic Federation.