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George Pullman
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George Pullman was a self-made man of humble origin who became a very rich and famous businessman, a person who associated with the tycoons and politicians of his time. His business methods, his planned community, and his company's historical strike are the subjects of many books and articles. He is a person hard to describe, since he could be proud and humble, gregarious and taciturn, covetous and generous, amiable and ill-tempered, indifferent and sentimental. So, who was the real George M. Pullman?
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The owner of the company, George Pullman was a "welfare capitalist." Firmly believing that labor unrest was caused by the unavailability of decent pay and living conditions, he paid unprecedented wages and built a company town by Lake Calumet (Pullman, Chicago) in what is now the southern part of the city. Instead of living in utilitarian tenements as did many other industrial workers of the day, Pullman workers lived in attractive company-owned houses, complete with indoor plumbing, gas, and sewer systems, in a beautifully landscaped little town with free education through eighth grade and a free public library stocked with an initial gift of 5,000 volumes from Pullman's own personal library.
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Although the strike collapsed, George Pullman's model for handling the "labour problem" had failed. Pullman had prided himself on his paternalistic approach with his workers, and he could not see how his heavy-handed methods had resulted in this worker rebellion. Criticized and scorned, Pullman died a bitter man in 1897.
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Born on March 3, 1831, in Brockton, New York, George Pullman initially worked as a cabinetmaker in his brother’s shop. His life’s turning point came during the setup of a new sewage system in Chicago, Illinois. The system required the elevation of some buildings. Pullman won a contract for raising the buildings. Using a series of jackscrews, he lifted the buildings with such efficiency and precision that the businesses in those buildings proceeded without any interruption during the elevation work. Pullman won laurels for his extraordinary work, and ... a good amount of money.
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George Pullman vastly improved the comfort of long distance rail travel when he introduced the sleeping car that bears his name. In 1877, Pullman began to buy up 3,500 acres of land on the western shore of Lake Calumet on which to build his new factory. Plant construction began in 1880. To lure well-qualified workers, Pullman ... built worker housing, stores, churches, and public buildings - an enormous company town. Pullman hired architect Solon S. Beman to design the town's buildings and Nathan F. Barrett to plan the landscape. By 1884, Pullman had around 8,000 residents.
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George Pullman was born in Brocton, Chautauqua County New York in 1831. His father James Pullman invented a method for moving houses on wheels. George took over his fathers business of moving homes with the death of his father in 1853. Pullman moved to Chicago where he gained a specialty in raising buildings as Chicago rebuilt itself higher up. After a period in Colorado where Pullman made additional money, Pullman who had been uncomfortable during his train travel designed and began manufacturing sleeping cars. Pullman instead of selling his cars instead leased and operated his cars.
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George Pullman