Michigan Central Railroad Mugshot collection, 24 April 1930 - 6 September 1934 and undated
1 Linear Foot (112 photographs and attached cards in two manuscript boxes)
The Michigan Central Railroad Police Department Mugshot collection contains 112 mugshots and accompanying police intake records for suspected members of the Communist Party USA. A number of these photographs come from the 1932 Ford Hunger March, with others coming from the GM Fisher Body plant strike in Flint in July 1930. Other individuals were arrested by the Flint Police department throughout the 1930s, and several were affiliated with specific investigations, as noted on the intake forms.
Of particular note is the arrest record of William Z. Foster in New York in 1930. Foster served as the secretary of the Communist Party, campaigned for Governor of New York in 1930, and ran for President of the United States in 1924, 1928, and 1932. Other notable members include Joe Sgovio who was deported to Russia, where he died; and Will Geer, who played the grandfather on 1970's television program The Waltons. While most of the mugshots are of men, two depict women (Marion Simon and Stella Marie Harrison).
Also included in the collection is a folder of historical information on the photographs, collected by the donor and housed with the collection.