My Grandfather, John Jones was born in Gonzales, Texas in September of 1888. He grew up in this small town and attended the local grade school there. At the age of sixteen and after taking a young girl, Minnie Weathers for his wife, he moved to the then Cattle Empire of Fort Worth, Texas.
For over forty years my grandfather's job was that of being a member of a dapper group of distinguished black gentlemen know as the Pullman Sleeping Car Porters or simply the Pullman Porters. They were named after George Pullman of the Pullman Palace Train Car Company, the inventor of the Pullman Sleeping Car which was designed for luxurious long distance train travel.
As a Pullman Porter, my grandfather traveled from his home in Fort Worth on many different train routes across the United States for the Texas and Pacific Railroad during the heyday of train travel from 1922 until 1962 when he retired.
When I, his grandson born in Fort Worth, moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1977, he recounted to me many stories about his train travel to Kansas City. He told of arriving at the nation's second largest train station, Union Station downtown (Grand Central Station in New York, being the first) and seeing all of the advertising signboards on a hill across from the station (where now sits the Westin Crown Center Hotel) and then staying overnight at the Streets Hotel for Blacks located in what is now known as the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District (a National District of Historic Places in the US).
My Grandparents were happily married for 65 years. They raised seven children all of them college educated from the salary he received and the tips he earned from the many traveling passengers he served. My Grandmother passed away in 1978 while my Grandfather lived to be 99 years old and died on Thursday, June 9, 1988 only a few months before turning 100 years old.
The Pullman Porters and their Rich American History: George Pullman of the Pullman Palace Train Car Company established in 1862, made train cars and developed the Pullman luxury sleeping car which was used on trains for long and overnight travel. These train cars, first introduced to the railroad in 1867 had carpet, draperies, upholstered chairs, libraries and card tables in addition to private sleeping rooms with beds and bathrooms for long train travel.
Mr. Pullman had the idea to hire a group of very distinguished, good looking, well dressed African American men to serve as Pullman Porters to assist the train travelers with whatever needs they might have while onboard. This proved to be great work for the Porters and was considered a very prestigious job on what Mr. Pullman called a "Hotel on Wheels".
During the 1920's, Mr. Pullman had over 9,800 Pullman Train Cars and he employed over 12,000 African American Porters. He was the largest single employer of Blacks in the country at that time.
The daily work for a Pullman Porter was long and hard but offered good pay during the time and also offered the porters a chance to see the country. During the early years they would work 400 hours per month and receive 35 cents per hour or about $810.00 per year plus the tips they would make. This was good money and enabled them to take good care of their families and to send their kids to college. Their prestigious jobs also helped to define the Black Middle Class of that time.
The Pullman Porters were basically servants and had to endure all types of demeaning behavior from white travelers. There were a lot of times when they were not called by their names but rather referred to as "George" after George Pullman or simply "boy" which they all hated.
Their daily work included shinning shoes, making beds, providing room service, helping with luggage or just about anything the traveling passenger would want or need. The better the service the better the tips, they would hopefully receive. Sometimes a quarter and sometimes even a rare dollar if they provided very good service. In addition, the Pullman Company work policy was harsh and allowed the porters to sleep only four hours each night and they had to pay for their uniforms, logging and food.
On August 25, 1925 the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was founded by a black businessman, A. Philip Randolph. It was the country's first all-black labor union and helped pave the way for better employment benefits for the porters.
On August 25, 1937 the Pullman Company signed a work agreement with the Pullman Porters which became the first ever labor agreement between black workers and a major american company. The result of the agreement included such benefits as reducing their work hours from 400 a month to 250 and raising their salary from $67.50 per month to a minimum of $89.50 per month.
The Pullman Porters were very well respected members of their communities and were credited with contributing to the development of the Black Middle Class in America much like Black Doctors, Lawyers and Educators of the time.
In 1968, the Pullman Company ended its operation of their sleeping cars and several railroad companies took over the Pullman Car function.The Porters were transferred to such companies as the Union Pacific Railroad and later Amtrak.
In conclusion, if you ever have a chance to ride the Amtrak train today and you notice a nice Black Man taking care of your every need, tip him well and remember the proud history of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and in particular, remember my grandfather, Pullman Porter John Jones not "George" or "Boy".
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