E.B. "Harry" Ault

Erwin Bratton "Harry" Ault (1883–1961) was an American socialist and trade union activist. He is best remembered as the editor of the Seattle Union Record, the long-running labor weekly (turned daily) published from 1912 to 1928. After termination of the Union Record, Ault worked as a commercial printer for a number of years, before being appointed a deputy U.S. Marshal for Tacoma, Washington, a position which he retained for 15 years.

Biography

Early years

Erwin Bratton Ault, known to all his contemporaries by the nickname of "Harry", was born October 30, 1883, in Newport, Kentucky, the son of American-born socialist parents. His father worked as a metal polisher and a wool duster.

Anxious to try their hand at establishing a socialist community from the ground up, the Ault family relocated from Kentucky to Washington state in April 1898 to join the "Equality" socialist colony then being launched by the Brotherhood of the Cooperative Commonwealth. At age 17, Harry became the editor of the colony's newspaper, Industrial Freedom, which debuted in May of that same year. In 1906, Ault followed Titus to Caldwell, Idaho for on-the-spot coverage of the politicized trial of the conspiracy to murder former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg. Clarence Darrow represented radical union leaders Haywood, Pettibone, and Moyer against the charges made as a result of a forced confession.

The Wage Worker Party lasted only a few months, long enough to issue only one edition of its newspaper, The Wage Worker. When Dave Beck took control of the Central Labor Council in 1924, he sold the paper to Ault, who continued the publication until its termination in 1928.

Later years

After the Union Record folded in 1928, Ault went to work as a commercial printer.

In 1936 he entered the Democratic Congressional primary election in Washington's 1st Congressional District, but he performed poorly, finishing with just over 3400 votes, well behind Warren G. Magnuson and his tally of 37,557. Thus ended Ault's career as a candidate for elected public office.

In 1938, Ault was appointed a deputy U.S. Marshal for Tacoma, Washington, a position which he retained until forced into retirement in 1953.

Death and legacy

Harry Ault died in Seattle on January 5, 1961.

His papers reside in the Special Collections department of Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Works

Labor's Struggle. (Listed as written by John Downie.) Seattle, WA: J. Downie and M.K. Ault, 1913. How to Make Capitalism Work: Containing Memorial "A" to the Congress of the United States. With John Downie. Seattle, WA: Olympic Press, 1936. How to Unravel the Snarls in Business. With John Downie. Seattle, WA: Harry E.B. Ault, 1940.