#thomas latimer

Crowd at the City Council Chambers

Issues that drew this crowd of Minneapolis citizens to the City Council Chambers were the street railway company's use of one-man operated streetcars and the status of Selma Seestrom (not pictured), a prominent Farmer-Labor official who was refused reappointment to the city’s Board of Public Welfare by Mayor Thomas Latimer. Many citizens were against one-man streetcars because they added to unemployment, worsened service, and reduced safety for both drivers and passengers. Latimer, though a member of the Farmer-Labor party, supported anti-labor policies and restricted welfare spending. His term as Minneapolis mayor from 1935-1937 coincided with a period of labor unrest in the city including the Flour City Ornamental Iron Works strike and the Strutwear Knitting Company strike, both in 1935.