Urbain Ledoux

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Urbain J. Ledoux
Urbain Ledoux circa 1906
Urbain Ledoux circa 1906
Born1874-08-13 (1874-08-13)
Sainte-Hélène-de-Bagot, Quebec, Canada
Died1941-04-08 (1941-04-09) (aged 66)
New York City, New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMr. Zero
Occupation(s)Diplomat, activist
Known forbreadlines for unemployed

Urbain J. Ledoux (August 13, 1874 – April 8, 1941), later known as "Mr. Zero", preferring his own name not to be prominent, was an American diplomat and activist with a declared interest in the Baháʼí Faith.

His quest to serve humanity began early in life. He sought to become a

Catholic priest at 15, but witnessed a case of priest abuse
and quit the seminary about the age of 17. He began to work for law and business interests, hoping to use these as a means of progress for humanity. He then sought to serve in diplomatic service for the United States with this approach and earned a few promotions. He advocated that commercial development could be a means to further the interests of humanity, but came to believe that personal transformation was more important.

He quit the diplomatic service and sought to work with

insane asylum
, ultimately gathering a chief of police and a judge to accompany a court order to effect her freedom.

He then began to found humanitarian organisations. He first made news seeking to help with

First World War among workers and veterans on the breadline. He advocated for the Baháʼí Faith, albeit with a limited understanding of the principles of the religion. Ledoux set up events aimed at raising awareness of the suffering of the unemployed in New York and Boston
.

His efforts were seen as too confrontational. His events were repeatedly shut down, even when he sought to be less confrontational and have discussions with leaders. The work was renewed with greater intensity during the Great Depression but he was in his 60s already and died soon after. Some of his work and antics were recorded in pictures and newsreels.

Biography

Born August 13, 1874 in

Marieville, Quebec.[1] Two years later he witnessed a case of priest abuse of an altar boy,[1] quit the priesthood and soon began work at a law firm back in Maine. He also began to organize political clubs, became Republican ward leader, and launched the first French language publications and newspaper stories in Maine.[1]

In 1895, Ledoux sought an open consulate position with the US Government at the age of 21 and was assigned to Trois-Rivières[1][3] where he engaged in promoting business interests, French language and culture in an anglophone environment as well as seeking balance in that advocacy.[4] He was promoted in 1903, and sent as consul to Prague[1][5] where he represented business interests.[6][7][8] In 1907 he was promoted again,[9] but chose not to accept appointment to Brazil.[1]

He had been challenged that his goals required a means to transform human nature.[10] He returned to the States in 1910[11] and was involved in Boston area peace initiatives the same year.[12] In 1912 he was working with peace activist Paul Otlet.[13]

In 1915, Ledoux was working with Baháʼís, especially at Green Acre Baháʼí School, and would later credit many of his actions to the tenets of the Baháʼí Faith.[1] He was perhaps the third francophone Baháʼí born out of Canada.[14] At the time Sarah Farmer, founder of Green Acre, was ill and had been involuntarily committed to an insane asylum.[15] Ledoux led the effort to free her[1] which, though it was confrontational, included the local chief of police and judge in the attempt with a court order.[16] ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, praised Ledoux for his work in freeing Farmer.[17]

That year, Henry Ford financed the Peace Ship mission to attempt to end World War I, setting sail in December 1915. Ledoux attempted to join the expedition, but wasn't accepted. Instead, he jumped off the pier and made a spectacle swimming after the ship – an act that got notice in the newspapers and entered him into public awareness.[18][19][20]

As his actions became more pronounced, he protested that his aims were apolitical - that he was neither an agitator nor a Bolshevist – and that his aims were religiously based.[1][21] He claimed he was trying "to awaken the slumbering conscience of the people."[22]

His institutions

In the vicinity of Greenacre Ledoux opened a "Unity Hotel" in 1917.[23]

During the war he began to assist in the relief of soldiers' families. After the Armistice he began to assist jobless veterans.[1]

The Stepping Stone

"Stepping Stone" breadline managed by Urbain Ledoux, New York, NY, 1919.

In April 1919[24] Ledoux opened a breadline named "The Stepping Stone" near Bowery and 9th Street in NY.[25] He did this with the assistance of some Baháʼís as well as some financial support.[26][27] Mason Remey went down one time to see what it was like and was taken up in the enthusiasm both of the work and the chance to talk.

A picture was taken of "The Stepping Stone"

Paul Underwood Kellogg,[10][37] and The New Republic,[38] in October and The Independent in November.[39] Each painted him in different ways.[40] Some of the coverage referenced his advocacy of the Baháʼí Faith,[27] and was sometimes confused with Buddhism,[10][41] - a confusion that echoes more recently.[13][21][42]

The 'Stepping Stone' picture was eventually acquired by Getty Images,[43] has been used some 90 years later[44][45] and has been noticed by Baháʼís[46] and others.[47]

Further endeavors

Ledoux escalated his efforts and organized the unemployed and former soldiers. He set up hotels for them to stay in, tried to get them invited to

inaugural ball,[21] and eventually ran foul of the law while presenting their case (and them) to the socialites of New York. He escalated his efforts with a public "slave auction" of jobless war veterans[1][21] on the steps of the New York Public Library. The authorities began to systematically reject his applications for events. In 1921, he repeated the action in Boston and had some success,[21][48][49] including getting 150 people jobs,[50] but after a major row he became less confrontational, instead relying on churches for contributions for relief to the poor.[21] He gained an audience with President Harding but it did not lead to a change.[22] While in Washington, he gave several talks at the Baháʼí Center though in his enthusiasm some of his points were clearly off base compared to those of the faith.[26] Refusing to learn the formal teachings of the religion, the remainder of his talks were canceled.[26] Meanwhile, he was praised as a mystic.[51] While away from Boston, much of what he had set up had been dismantled. He tried to move the starving to another hotel. In a confrontation with the desk clerk, he quoted passages from the Gospel of Matthew but the clerk was not moved enough to allow them to stay.[21]

Ledoux broadened his advocacy for all the unemployed and labored further for years before and during the Great Depression. In one stunt he would hold a lantern "looking for an honest man" or "a Christian delegate" who would address the wrongs in society; eventually he drew attention to Eugene V. Debs.[21] He downplayed the inspiration of the Baháʼí Faith because of xenophobic fears among the public.[1] Films were taken of him trying to promote the work.[52][53] Pictures were taken too.[54]

He died in April 1941, with his daughter Yvette having moved there to help him.[55] Obituaries were published by Associated Press and United Press International as well as independently.[56] In 1973 an Ed.D thesis was done on Ledoux.[57]

See also

Further reading

  • Daniel Leab (15 January 2014). "Ledoux, Urbain (1874-1941)". Encyclopedia of American Recessions and Depressions [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 454–457.
    ISBN 978-1-59884-946-2
    .
  • Alexander Keyssar (31 March 1986). Out of Work: The First Century of Unemployment in Massachusetts. Cambridge University Press. pp. 238–249.
    ISBN 978-0-521-29767-7
    .
  • Niven Busch. "Snow Man". 21 Americans. eNet Press. pp. 121–127.
    ISBN 978-1-61886-948-7
    .
  • Claude Bragdon (1 November 2006). More Lives Than One. Cosimo, Inc. pp. 93–97, 265.
    ISBN 978-1-59605-359-5
    .
  • Woolfson, William Charles (1973). Mr. Zero : a memoir-biography of Urbain Ledoux (Thesis). Laurence University.
    OCLC 28372998
    .

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-59884-946-2
    .
  2. ^ Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. 1958. pp. 104–106.
  3. ^ "Desirable berths filled". The Morning Times. Washington, District of Columbia. Jul 30, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  4. ISBN 978-2-89448-391-6
    .
  5. ^ Michael J. Guignard (1979). "Pay, promotion and assignments in the early 1900s". Department of State News Letter. Bureau of Administration. pp. 12–13.
  6. ^ "As an Intelligence Bureau; How Mr. Ledoux does it in Prague". American Industries. New York, NY: 3. Jun 15, 1906. Retrieved Nov 26, 2014.
  7. ^ "Representative Consular Officials; Consul Ledoux, of Prague". Dun's Review. 7 (1) (International ed.): 36. Mar 1906. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  8. ^ Millard, Thomas F. (May 1907). "Consul Ledoux and his "System"". The American Monthly Review of Reviews. 35 (5). New York, NY: 553–555. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  9. ^ "Diplomats get new locations". The Piqua Daily Call. Piqua, Ohio. Sep 9, 1903. p. 2. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  10. ^ a b c Chenery, William L. (Oct 1, 1921). "Mr. Zero, the man who feeds the hungry". The Survey. 47 (1): 14–15. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  11. ^ "Missionary and ex-Consul home". The New York Times. Jul 16, 1910. p. 14. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  12. ^ Mead, Edwin D. (Sep 1910). "The International School of Peace". New England Magazine. 62 (1): 9–16 (see page 16). Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  13. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-935420-7
    .
  14. ISBN 978-1-55458-706-3
    .
  15. ISBN 978-0-520-95411-3
    .
  16. ^ "Greenacre head taken with force". Boston Post. Boston, Massachusetts. Aug 4, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  17. ^ ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (Nov 23, 1918) [Dec 27, 1916]. "Tablet to Mr. Vail". Star of the West. 9 (14): 155. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  18. ^ "Fined for Ford ship leap" (PDF). New York Call. New York, NY. Dec 7, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  19. ^ Traxel, David (2006). Crusader Nation: The United States in Peace and the Great War 1898-1920. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 209.
  20. ISBN 978-1-4299-3801-3
    .
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8147-2667-9
    .
  22. ^
    ISBN 978-0-521-29767-7
    .
  23. ^ * "Unity hotel to be located on middle street". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Jun 13, 1917. p. 8. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  24. ^ "Resume breadline here". The New York Times. New York, NY. Apr 1, 1919. p. 4. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  25. ISBN 978-1-61945-004-2
    .
  26. ^
    Remey, Charles Mason (2005) [1949]. Reminiscences of the Summer School Green Acre
    . Vol. 1 (revised Haifa, 1955, Reprinted ed.). Eliot, Maine / Lansing, Michigan: H-Bahai. pp. 56–58.
  27. ^ a b "Philosophy of Bahai will save U. S. from Bolshevism, says Urbain Ledoux, Bowery Philanthropist, once Diplomatist" (PDF). The Evening Telegram. New York, NY. July 30, 1919. p. 3. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  28. ^ Kirchwey, George W. (May 1919). "Solving the problem of the unemployed". American Review of Reviews. 59 (5). New York, NY: 521–523. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  29. ^ * "Only 3 Ex-Soldiers discovered among 291 in bread lines". The Evening World. New York, NY. Apr 3, 1919. pp. 1–2. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  30. ^ Ledoux, Urbain (Sep 27, 1919). "The Oneness of the World of Humanity". Star of the West. 10 (11): 211–213. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  31. ^ ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (June 24, 1919) [April 4, 1919]. "Recent Tablet to Juliet Thompson". Star of the West. 10 (6): 109–110. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  32. ^ "Supplication to Abdul-Baha from the American friends". Star of the West. 10 (8): 156–186. August 1, 1919. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  33. ISBN 978-1-58046-287-7
    .
  34. ^ Report of the Twelfth Annual Mashrekol-Azkar Convention;(listing of the delegates), Star of the West, vol 11, no 11, Sept 27, 1920, (see page 175)
  35. ^ * Wandeyne Deuth; Eugene J. Deuth, eds. (Jan 1921). "Baha'i Activities". Reality. 3 (1). New York, NY: Reality Publishing Company: 41, 43. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
    • Wandeyne Deuth; Eugene J. Deuth, eds. (Dec 1921). "The appeal of Ledoux". Reality. 4 (12). New York, NY: Reality Publishing Company: 2–4. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  36. ^ * "On the same day that Secretary Hoover…". The Nation. 113 (2934): 337. Sep 28, 1921. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  37. ^ Survey Associates, Inc., by Jhansan, The Social Welfare Welfare History Project.
  38. ^ Lovett, Robert Morss (Oct 5, 1921). "Urbain Ledoux - Prophet". The New Republic. Vol. 28, no. 357. pp. 152–3. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  39. ^ Griscom, W. S. (Nov 26, 1921). "Social Reform and Notoriety". The Independent and the Weekly Review. 107 (3793): 212. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  40. ISBN 978-1-61886-948-7
    .
  41. ^ Bertha Hyde; Marion Carpenter (Nov 12, 1912). "The Bahaists; letters to the editor". The Survey. 47 (7): 257. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  42. ISBN 978-0-8122-4472-4
    .
  43. ^ "Editorial #81843344". GettyImages. 2014. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  44. ^ Monaghan, Angela (November 13, 2014). "US wealth inequality - top 0.1% worth as much as the bottom 90%". The Guardian. New York, NY. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  45. Laffer, Arthur B. (Sep 22, 2009). "Taxes, Depression, and Our Current Troubles"
    . Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  46. ^ Dannells, George Wesley (Sep 22, 2009). "On Along the Breadline: A Baháʼí Sign of Welcome on Wall Street During the Great Depression". Bahaiviews.net. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  47. ^ Martin Heilweil; Marcia Crowley (2009). "Taxes, Depression, and Our Current Troubles; Comments". Archived from the original (doc) on 2014-12-05. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  48. ISBN 978-1-59605-359-5
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  49. ^ The shepherd of the unemployed, The Single Tax Review, vol 21, no 5, Sept-Oct, 1921, p. 136
  50. ^ Powers, James H. (Oct 12, 1921). "The Times and Unemployment". The Nation. 113 (2936): 402. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  51. ^ Hobart, Ethel (Nov 19, 1921). "A Modern Mystic". The Survey. 47 (8): 272. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  52. ^ "Hoboes Shun Bowery Dives to Sip Brew at Philanthropist's Bar, New York". Films from the 1930s. Critical Past. Mar 3, 1932. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  53. ^ pappasl (Nov 20, 2012). "Feature Video–Thanksgiving 2012–Mr Zero gives to the needy". Moving Image Research Collections. University of South Carolina. Retrieved Nov 25, 2014.
  54. ^ * "Men Willing to Work for One Dollar a Week". Corbis Corporation. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  55. ISBN 978-0-7735-8628-4
    .
  56. ^ * "Mr. Zero Dies in New York". Arizona Independent Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Apr 10, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved Nov 28, 2014.
  57. OCLC 28372998
    . Retrieved Nov 26, 2014.

External links

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