Pullman, George Mortimer, 1831-97, American industrialist and developer of the railroad sleeping car, b. Brocton, N.Y. As a young man he became a cabinetmaker, and after he moved (1858) to Chicago he began converting (1859) old railroad coaches in order to facilitate long-distance traveling. Some five years later he built the Pioneer, the first modern sleeping car. Gaining great wealth from his invention, he founded (1867) the Pullman Palace Car Company. The town of Pullman, now part of Chicago, was built (1880) for the company and its workers. One of the most famous of all U.S. strikes was that at Pullman in 1894.

Pullman strike, in U.S. history, an important labor dispute. On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They sought support from their union, the American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs, and on June 26 the ARU called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. Within days, 50,000 rail workers complied and railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. When the railroad owners asked the federal government to intervene, Attorney General Richard Olney, a director of the Burlington and Santa Fe railroads, obtained (July 2) a court injunction. On July 4, President Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. Debs and three other union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction.

Pullman. 1 Former town, since 1889 part of Chicago, Ill. It was founded in 1880 by George M. Pullman as a model community for workers of his sleeping-car company; all property was company owned, and administration policies were paternalistic. The residents voted for incorporation with Chicago, and Illinois courts later required the company to sell all property not used for industrial purposes. In 1894, Pullman was the site of one of the most memorable strikes in U.S. history. A protest against wage cuts led (May, 1894) to the strike, then to a boycott by the American Railway Union, and ultimately to the imprisonment of its president, Eugene V. Debs. A sharp contest ensued during the strike between Gov. John P. Altgeld and President Grover Cleveland over the sending of federal troops to the area. The strike was broken in July. 2 City (1990 pop. 23,478), Whitman co., SE Wash., at the junction of the three forks of the Palouse River, near the Idaho line; inc. 1888. It is an agricultural center for a region producing wheat, barley, oats, alfalfa, peas, lentils, sheep, and hogs. Electronic equipment and machinery are manufactured. The city, named for George M. Pullman, was a major stop on the Northern Pacific RR. Washington State Univ. is there.

(born March 3, 1831, Brocton, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 19, 1897, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. industrialist. He moved to Chicago as a young man and worked as a cabinetmaker for his brother. In 1858 he remodeled two day coaches for a local railroad company into sleeping coaches; eventually he set up his own firm, and the first true Pullman sleeping car appeared in 1865. Becoming wealthy from his invention, in 1867 he founded the Pullman Palace Car Company; the next year he created the first dining car. In 1880 he built the town of Pullman (now incorporated into Chicago) for its workers; a much-discussed social experiment, the town was also the scene of the famous Pullman Strike of 1894.

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(born March 3, 1831, Brocton, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 19, 1897, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. industrialist. He moved to Chicago as a young man and worked as a cabinetmaker for his brother. In 1858 he remodeled two day coaches for a local railroad company into sleeping coaches; eventually he set up his own firm, and the first true Pullman sleeping car appeared in 1865. Becoming wealthy from his invention, in 1867 he founded the Pullman Palace Car Company; the next year he created the first dining car. In 1880 he built the town of Pullman (now incorporated into Chicago) for its workers; a much-discussed social experiment, the town was also the scene of the famous Pullman Strike of 1894.

Learn more about Pullman, George M(ortimer) with a free trial on Britannica.com.