GEORGE F. JOHNSON AND THE SQUARE DEAL
Starting at the turn of the century, George F. Johnson built one of the largest shoe companies in the country, turning out 52 million pairs of shoes per year and supplying boots for the US Army in both World Wars. He won his workers loyalty by offering them exceedingly generous benefits: health care, housing, parks, band concerts, even free carousels. He called his policies "The Square Deal." When Johnson died in 1948, his funeral was one of the largest in US history.
But today the name George F. Johnson is practically unknown. Radio Diaries takes a look back to the heyday of what was called Welfare Capitalism - and the man known to his workers as "George F."
George Johnson and the Square Deal as heard on All Things Considered on NPR.
Thanks
to Gerald Zahavi, who literally wrote the book on George F. Johnson; Susan Sherwood,
at the Center for Technology and Innovation; and Jon Miller, who produced this story
with Radio Diaries. Archival audio used in the piece was provided by the George F.
Johnson Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library.
The story is a production of award winning reporters Joe Richman of Radio Diaries, NYC, and Jonathon Miller, Homeland Productions, Ithaca, with help from members and staff of the Johnson City Senior Center and the Center for Technology & Innovation, and advice from WSKG staff.
The piece features the voices of Mel Dubofsky, Professor Emeritus, Binghamton University;
Bob Johnston; Sal Poliziano; Sandy Scanlon, granddaughter of George F. Johnson; Gerry
Zahavi, University of Albany; and others.
This collaboration is a spin off of our History Works! project funded by the History Channel in 2007/8
Image courtesy of Radio Diaries