Smurthwaite, John Gradon (1829-1893) - Obit

(John Gradon Smurthwaite is the great grandfather of the contributor, Richard N. Heywood)

John Smuthwaite’s Funeral

Ogden Standard Examiner, 8 Dec 1893

            The obsequies over the remains of John Smurthwaite

were held yesterday afternoon at his son’s residence 2069 Jefferson Avenue.  A large concourse of relatives and friends of the deceased were present, and the services were impressive and appropriate.  Among the speakers were Hon. Frank J. Cannon and Ben E. Rich.  A Male quartet—Messrs Orson Griffin, Charles Kent, George G. Taylor and William H. Adams, furnished beautiful music at the house and afterward at the grave.

            The Ogden Typographical Union turned out in full force and took charge of the ceremonies.

            [John Smurthwaite was apprenticed at the age of 14 years to learn the printing business at the Durham ‘Chronicle office, Durham, England and served seven years.  A few months before his term expired, the typographic union was established, and although he could not become a member, being an apprentice, he took active part in its organization, and, in fact was considered the prime mover, and father of the movement.  Being now a full-fledged journeyman, and of an ambitious disposition, he soon became dissatisfied with the limited opportunities of his native city and started out for London, where he lived for a few months only, when he again determined to see more of the world.  He visited several cities of prominence, and finally settled down at Manchester, where he obtained a position in the composing room of the Examiner and Times.  Here he remained thirty-two years, or until he resigned to come to Utah in 1885.  He was a member of the executive committee of the Typographical Association of Great Britain for about a quarter of a century, for several years its first vice-president and for several years its president.  It may be said of him that he spent his whole life in the interest of trade unionism, and especially for the benefit of the Typographical association, and his facsimile autograph still adorns the great Caxton emblem of the craft in Great Britain, where he was universally known as one of its great labor leaders in early days.  A slight idea of his devotion to unionism may be gathered from the fact that before he would lift a type in Ogden, where at that time there was no Typographical union, he went to Salt Lake to deposit his “card” with the secretary of the union there.  This being done, he returned to Ogden, and succeeded in obtaining employment on the staff of the Herald, the predecessor of The Standard, and has since been associated with that office.

     

Deceased was elected the first delegate from O. T. U. No. 236, to represent organization in the International Typographical Union of North America.  He also served the local organization as it secretary-treasurer.]