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View Tree for William Louis FuessWilliam Louis Fuess (b. Nov 09, 1884, d. Jan 06, 1955)

William Louis Fuess (son of Philip John Fuess, Sr. and Maria McGuire) was born Nov 09, 1884 in Marshall, NY195, and died Jan 06, 1955196. He married Eliza Ann Gall on Jan 28, 1914 in Waterville, NY197, daughter of James Gall and Eliza (Elizabeth) Ann Jolly.

 Includes NotesNotes for William Louis Fuess:
Front Page of the Post-Standard Sunday Magazine, Syracuse, NY August 11, 1963. The Milk Strike of 1933.

Story and Pictures By Maurice D. Lee.

Thirty years ago this month a violent milk strike exploded in Central, Northern and Western New York. It was one of the most vicious revolts in the history of the Empire State's multi-million-dollar dairy industry. Farmer was pitted against farmer, farmer against trooper and neighbor against neighbor. The strike lasted twelve days. Unestimated thousands of gallons of milk were dumped. Men were wounded, tires were blasted from milk trucks, tank truck convoys were riddled with gunfire, seals were broken on railroad milk cars and milk spilled over the sidings.

ON THE COVER Bill Fuess, Waterville, stands on running board of his car with shotgun. He delivered milk to plant in his area, ignoring strikers. "It's all right boys. I'm just bringing in my milk," he assured police as they took cover.

The strike began August 1, 1933, when dairy farmers decided to withhold milk as a protest against the policies of the State Milk Control Board. In back of this, strike leaders had demanded that the board change its milk price classification. They also asked for 45 per cent of the retail price for the producers. At the outset of the strike there was sharp division among producers. Some 1,800 producers pledged their support to the control board, expressing confidence in the price plan. Others were for cutting off milk to the metropolitan market. The cry of "Communist influence" was heard. this was never proven, but thugs from New York, who had never seen a dairy cow, appeared in the strike area to participate in the slugging. The Boonville and Poland areas became hotbeds of violence as soon as the "milk holiday" began. The late Cpt. Stephen McGrath, commander of Troop D, State Police, Onieda, rushed forty trooper to Boonville. They were equipped with tear gas, pistols, night sticks and carbine rifles.

On the first day of the strike twelve men were hurt, some seriously. Steel-helmeted troopers swung clubs and hurled tear gas. Businessmen closed their places and residents crowded the streets protesting the presence of troopers. Governor Herbert H. Lehman in Albany was flooded with telegrams. He sent Maj. John A. Warner, then commander of the State Police, to Boonville to investigate. "No brutality on the part of State Police will be tolerated by me," the governor declared. The governor soon supplemented this statement by stating in effect, that there was no such thing as an "innocent bystander." Troopers were ordered to scatter any group that assembled to witness farmer-trooper clashes. The strike spread into 27 counties as more dairymen joined the movement. In Madison, Oneida, Chenanago and Lewis Counties milk trucks were waylaid and their cargoes dumped. Maj. Warner on his return to Albany called the strike "an attempt to blackjack the control board." Ten thousand producing dairymen had joined the strike.

At the height of the conflict strikers in Vernon threatened to wreck a milk train when it stopped at the plant. Railroad ties were piled across the tracks. Armed troopers held off the mob and allowed the train to move out. Cpt. McGrath was injured in a hand-to-hand fight in Oriskany. He was struck in the head with a rock at close range. Seven other troopers were hurt. McGrath was taken to a Utica hospital and released a day later to lead troopers in scraps with strikers at Camden and Waterville. Firing on tank truck convoys at Camden and Herkimer prompted troopers to arm themselves with 30-30 rifles. The troopers returned 300 rounds of ammunition but no injuries were recorded. The violent milk strike . . . no assessment of the total damage was ever made . . . was called off Aug. 13 by strike leaders and the farmers formed a committed to confer with the milk board. A radio talk by Gov. Lehman was credited with breaking the strike. He refused to recognize a truce declared by strike leaders "pending arbitration with the milk control board." The governor promised that such things as classification, limitation of production, freight differentials, fixing of prices to producer and consumer and restriction of profits to distributors would be studied by the board. He followed this up by ordering an investigation of milk dealer profits and hearings were set up in Albany to sift grievances and restore order to the troubled milk industry.

The hue and cry during the strike was that dealers were making too much . . . farmers not enough.

More About William Louis Fuess and Eliza Ann Gall:
Marriage: Jan 28, 1914, Waterville, NY.197

 Includes NotesMarriage Notes for William Louis Fuess and Eliza Ann Gall:
Marriage license issued January 27,1914 by Town Clerk Neiel B. Clarke. "I, James K. Parker a Clergyman residing at Waterville in the county of Oneida and State of New York do hereby certify that I did on this 28 day of January in the year A.D. 1914 at Waterville in the county of Oneida and the State of new York solemize the rites of matrimony between William Louis Fuess of Marshall in the county of Oneida and State of New York and Eliza Ann Gall of Waterville in the county of Oneida and State of new York in the presence of Lucy E. Parker and M. Cornelia Parker as witness and the licesne therefore is hereto annexed."



Children of William Louis Fuess and Eliza Ann Gall are:
  1. +Frederick John Fuess.
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