T-Bone Slim

T-Bone Slim
Born	1880 Ashtabula, Ohio
Died	c. May 15, 1942 New York City
Occupation	Writer, hobo, labor activist, dock worker
Spouse(s)	Rosa Kotila
Children	Paul, Anna, Florence, Edna

Matti Valentinpoika Huhta (1880–1942), better known by his pen name T-Bone Slim, was a humorist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and labor activist, who played a prominent role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Huhta was born in Ashtabula, Ohio to Matti and Johanna Huhta, Finnish immigrants from Ilmajoki, Finland. As a young man he married Rosa Kotila of Ashtabula, with whom he had four children. The marriage ended when the children were young, and he left Ohio, having no further contact with Rosa or the children.

He worked briefly as a reporter for the daily News-Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota but resigned after an editor "misquoted him and balled up his article" about an IWW mass meeting. According to one account, this was when he joined the Industrial Workers of the World or "Wobblies", as they are sometimes called. Over a period of twenty years Huhta contributed numerous articles and songs to IWW publications and was widely regarded as one of the union's finest writers. He was a regular columnist for Industrial Solidarity and later wrote for the Industrial Worker and Industrialisti.

In addition to his writing, he supported himself in various ways. His experience working on docks and barges around the country had by the mid-1930s garnered him a position as barge captain in New York City. On May 15, 1942 Huhta's body was found floating in the Hudson River, where it appeared to have been for several days. The death was ruled an accidental drowning although the exact circumstances were unclear. There was no funeral, and in the end Huhta was buried in a potter's field on Hart Island.

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