Biography
Herman Suhr was an IWW organizer who, with Richard "Blackie" Ford, led the August 1913 hop-pickers' protest at the Durst Ranch in Wheatland, California. After a sheriff's posse opened fire and a deadly riot ensued, Suhr and Ford were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment despite no evidence that either had killed anyone; their case became a national labor-defense rallying point.
IWW Durst Farm local secretary convicted of second-degree murder for the 1913 Wheatland Hop Riot in California alongside Richard "Blackie" Ford. The Wheatland defense became one of the IWW's longest-running legal campaigns; both men were sentenced to life. Suhr was later pardoned.
The June 1925 labor-press political-prisoner birthday notice lists him at Folsom Prison, Represa, under prisoner number 9266, with a June 16 birthday (no birth year is given). The notice appears to print a middle initial O., while the Wheatland prisoner is usually recorded as Herman D. Suhr — the initial awaits independent verification.
