Hill, Joe (1879–1915)

Joe Hill, who became well known as an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) songwriter, cartoonist, and organizer, was born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle, Sweden. Hill immigrated to the United States in 1902. His activities between then and 1910 are not completely clear, though it is known that he traveled throughout the country, working primarily as a laborer. Somewhere during these years he changed his name to Joseph Hillstrom (possibly because he was blacklisted for union activities), which was later shortened to Joe Hill.

Disillusioned by the working conditions he experienced, he joined the IWW in 1910, and very quickly became known in union circles for his cartoons featured in IWW papers, and his songs. Organizing among workers speaking various languages required the IWW to use both cartoons and music, stressing simple English, to spread their message. In general, Hill's songs, often consisting of his lyrics adapted to hymns or popular tunes, fell in to two categories: some reflected specific situations (“Where the Fraser River Flows,” “Casey Jones”), others stressed the IWW goal of uniting workers into one big union (“Workers of the World Awaken,” “There Is Power in a Union”), while promoting the IWW viewpoint, as expressed in its founding documents, that it was the historic mission of the working class to do away with capitalism.

Hill came to Utah in the late fall of 1913, though it is not known whether he came at the request of the union. He arrived in the state at a time of intense antagonism toward the IWW, inflamed by a successful IWW-led strike among railroad workers against the Utah Construction Company, and a determined effort on the part of the business community, local government officials, and others to restrict the union's right to speak in public spaces in Salt Lake City. In January 1914, he was arrested and charged with the murder of a local grocer, John G. Morrison, and his 17-year-old son Arlen. At first, Hill sought to downplay his IWW affiliation. Once this link became known, however, the case was as much about the union as the accused.

Hill was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. He unsuccessfully appealed his case to the Utah Supreme Court and the state's Board of Pardons. During the course of the trial and the appeals, a huge defense campaign ensued to win Hill's release, and to overturn his conviction. While led by the IWW, the effort attracted support from radicals, unionists, and the general public. Additionally, representatives of the Swedish government, and President Woodrow Wilson appealed to the state of Utah to review the facts of the case and the fairness of the trial.

Hill, who maintained his innocence to the very end, was executed in Salt Lake City on November 19, 1915. As his execution approached, Hill, always witty and quotable, sent William D. (Big Bill) Haywood, the union's secretary, several telegrams. One asked to have his body taken to the Wyoming state line because he did not want to be found dead in Utah. Indeed, after his death Hill's cremated ashes were distributed worldwide, everywhere except Utah. In death, Hill became a mythic figure, claimed by radicals and unionists of various stripes. He has become the subject of a number of plays, movies, and songs. The most well known of these songs is Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson's “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night,” which proclaims Hill as the man who never died. Over the years, efforts have been undertaken in Utah to have Hill granted a posthumous pardon, but none of them have been successful.

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