Arthur Frederick Kampfert

This week's 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks prompt was "invite to dinner." Honestly I'd love to have any of my ancestors to dinner to ask them what I'm missing. But I settled on my great grandfather Arthur Kampfert. How can you go wrong with a man that I've been told appears in a picture with Al Capone?

Unknown date

When Arthur Frederick Kampfert was born on May 22, 1899, in Illinois, his father, Paul, was 25 and his mother, Anna, was 19. He was followed by his sister Sally in 1903, his sister Ella in 1905, his brother George in 1908, his sister Helen in 1910, and his sister Dorothy in 1911. I don't know where he went to school. It is consistently reported that he had a 7th grade education.

His family is listed in the 1900 census at 1082 W. 13th Street when Arthur was a year old. I have not found a record of his birth but I assume he was born in Chicago. By 1910 the family had moved to 4312 S. Fairfield, the street he woukd live on for the rest of his life. In 1920 he stated his occupation as a butcher and still lived with his parents. Arthur's mother Anna (Blaesing) Kampfert died on September 13, 1917 when he was 18. His father remarried on March 1, 1919. Arthur's step mother was Bertha Becker. Sometime between 1910 and 1920 The Schiefelbein family moved into 4318 Fairfield. Arthur married their daughter Margaret May 29, 1920.

Arthur and Margaret's marriage license

Margaret and Arthur Kampfert - possibly at one of their daughters wedding

After their marriage, Arthur and Margaret moved to the 2nd floor of 4318 Fairfield (where Margaret's parents lived). Margaret and Arthur had six children during their marriage. Mildred was born in 1921, Evelyn in 1923 and Shirley in 1927. Those 3 are pictured below with their father. Two more daughters were born to Arthur and Margaret. Violet was born in 1929 and Ethel was born in 1931.

Arthur with his three oldest children

Arthur and Margaret with ? I know the 2nd from left is Shirley and to her right is Violet,
1st on the left in back may be Mildred

 As early as 1917 Arthur was working at a packinghouse on Chicago's south side. From there he began his work with the packinghouse workers union. He spoke at the United Packinghouse Workers of America's founding convention in 1943.

"The Packinghouse Workers under the banner of the streamlined CIO organization has been the only organization in the history of the meat packing industry that has gone over five years of life. I hope this organization will stand as long as we have a meat packing industry; and that your children and children's children will not have to slave in those packinghouses as we have slaved in the past"

-Arthur Kampfert, speech to 1943 UPWA convention

He was often traveling and assisting laborers around the country trying to elevate the living standards of packinghouse workers. In 1949 he wrote "History of Meat Packing, Slaughtering and Unionism. His manuscript was never published but there is a copy at the University of Wisconsin. Despite the manuscript never being published he and his manuscript have been quoted on various histories of the American labor movement.

Arthur at his desk at the union office in Chicago

Arthur in front of the Union office

Despite the time away from his family, he was known to be close to them. There are stories of holiday gatherings.

The Kampferts were known for family parties. This is New Year 1945

Arthur's short but full life ended on November 3, 1951. He was 52. He is buried at Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois. So far I have not located his death record to determine cause of death.

Grave marker at Bethania in Justice