George Vanderveer

George Francis Vanderveer (August 2, 1875 – October 22, 1942) was an American lawyer who defended Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) members during the union's years of "deepest trouble."

Background Vanderveer was born in 1875 in Iowa and died in 1942 in Seattle. Minutes books, correspondence, mailing lists, and publications were seized, with the U.S. Department of Justice removing five tons of material from the IWW's General Office in Chicago alone. 101 went on trial en masse before Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, which began on April 1, 1918. Vanderveer led their defense and argued that most evidence predated the war. They were all convicted — including those who had not been members of the union for years. The judge sentenced 35 to 5 years, 33 to 10 years, and 15 to 20 years; the remained 30 received clemency. (Sentenced to prison by Judge Landis and released on bail, Haywood fled to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, where he remained until his death in 1928).

1919 Seattle General Strike

In 1919, Vanderveer defended AFL and IWW members in this five-day general work stoppage by more than 65,000 workers in Seattle, Washington, which lasted February 6–11.

1928 Seattle teachers v. Sharples Vanderveer represented teachers in Seattle High School Teachers Chap. No. 200 of the American Federation of Teachers v. Sharples. When teachers formed a union (American Federation of Teachers, Local 200), the state school board imposed a "yellow dog" contract on them. AFT Local 200 fought the yellow dog rule in court; Vanderveer defended them.