Nobody owns us; the story of Joe Gilbert, midwestern rebel

This laudatory biography of Joseph Gilbert, an outspoken British-American leader of the cooperative movement in the Midwest, is based on interviews, newspapers and magazine articles, and transcripts of court proceedings during Gilbert's trials for sedition during the years immediately following World War I. Born in London in 1865, Gilbert was raised in Wolverley, Worcestershire by a conservative, working-class aunt and uncle. Seeking education and control over his life, Joe emigrated to the Philadelphia area where he held several jobs designing carpets. After a few years' study, Joe became a lawyer. Dissatisfied with a successful but unchallenging career, he relocated to Seattle with his wife, Julie, where he became a socialist activist, editor, and organizer. Joe moved from state to state, and his skills led not only to socialist organizing but also to remunerative positions with various chambers of commerce and retail organizations. Eventually, he became a leader with the Nonpartisan League, established in 1915 to increase political representation for farmers, to demand state ownership of the major agricultural processing facilities, and to advocate federal ownership of the nation's railroads. In a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, Gilbert was convicted of sedition in December 1920, and served the following year in the Red Wing, Minnesota jail. After his release, Gilbert edited a variety of small newspapers and involved himself with the Northern States Cooperative League. Later, he served as Midland Cooperative Wholesale's chief spokesperson, editor, and policymaker until he began to lose his vision in 1935. His home was in Minneapolis at the time this book was written.
Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.