Ross Winn (August 25, 1871 – August 8, 1912) was an American

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...

writer and publisher from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

who was mostly active within the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

Biography

Ross Winn was born in

Denton County Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the 7th-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton. The county, which was named for John B. Denton, was establish ...

in 1871. Prior to beginning his own publishing efforts, Winn frequently wrote articles for other radical papers. Winn's earliest known published writing appears in the January, 1894 issue of ''Twentieth Century''. He was 23 when he wrote the piece, a plea for cooperation between

socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and anarchists. In a later piece, appearing in ''

Free Society ''Free Society'' (1895–1897 as ''The Firebrand''; 1897–1904 as ''Free Society'') was a major anarchist newspaper in the United States at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries."''Free Society'' was the principal Engl ...

'' in December, 1900, Winn mentions becoming a "young convert" in realizing his own radical political notions twelve years earlier, when he was only 17 years old. It is likely that Winn, like many other anarchists of the time, became politicized by the execution of the

Haymarket martyrs The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square in ...

. Winn also wrote articles for ''

The Firebrand * ''The Firebrand'' (1922 film), a silent film directed by Alan James * ''The Firebrand'' (1962 film), a film directed by Maury Dexter * ''The Firebrand'' (Bradley novel), a 1987 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley * ''The Firebrand'' (Kemp novel), ...

'', a short-lived, but renowned weekly out of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

; ''The Rebel'', an anarchist journal published in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

; and

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of th ...

's ''

Mother Earth Mother Earth may refer to: *The Earth goddess in any of the world's mythologies *Mother goddess * Mother Nature, a common personification of the Earth and its biosphere as the giver and sustainer of life Written media and literature * "Mother Ea ...

''.Slifer, Shaun and Ally Reeves (Summer 2004). "Ross Winn: Digging Up a Tennessee Anarchist". '' Fifth Estate'', pp. 55-57. Sometime in 1894, Winn began his first paper, known as ''Co-operative Commonwealth''. He then edited and published ''Coming Era'' for a brief time in 1898 and then ''Winn's Freelance'' in 1899. Later in 1899, Winn took over publication of ''Free Society'' and discontinued ''Coming Era'' and ''Winn's Freelance''. In 1902, he announced a new paper called ''Winn's Firebrand''. It's likely he fancied the name of the then-defunct weekly. His vision was for a paper that would appeal to people of all classes. According to Winn, it would be "just the kind of literature for missionary work among the masses". Winn considered the printed word as the most effective tool for social awakening, and saw the dissemination of anti-authoritarian ideals, especially in the conservative South, as his distinct calling. In 1900,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

became his base of operation: "In establishing the magazine (in Mt. Juliet), as an independent publication, the flag of revolutionary thought is planted on Southern soil, and a residence of a lifetime in this section convinces me that it will be a fruitful field for

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

ideas, if the right methods are used to present them." Winn and his future wife Augusta "Gussie" Smith moved into her family home in Mt. Juliet, the Warner Price Mumford Smith House. In 1899, Winn married Augusta Smith, and they soon had their first and only child, Ross Winn, Jr. In 1901, Winn met Emma Goldman in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, and found in her a lasting ally. As she wrote in his obituary, Emma "was deeply impressed with his fervor and complete abandonment to the cause, so unlike most American revolutionists, who love their ease and comfort too well to risk them for their ideals." Winn kept up a correspondence with Goldman throughout his life, as he did with other prominent anarchist writers at the time.

Joseph Labadie Charles Joseph Antoine Labadie (April 18, 1850 – October 7, 1933) was an American labor organizer, anarchist, Greenbacker, social activist, printer, publisher, essayist, and poet. Biography Early years Jo Labadie was born on April 18, 1850, i ...

, a prominent writer and organizer in Michigan, was another friend to Winn, and contributed several pieces to ''Winn's Firebrand'' in its later years. Sometime in 1909, Ross Winn contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

(then known as "consumption"), but continued his work on ''Firebrand'' despite his failing health. In 1910, he moved briefly to

with his wife, Augusta (known as "Gussie"), in search of work. Unable to find work, and having gotten himself deeper into debt, Winn sold his printing setup and moved back to Mt. Juliet. In July 1911, Gussie wrote a letter, in secret, to Emma Goldman asking for any possible financial assistance from their allies, knowing that her husband "would rather starve than to beg".Winn, Augusta
Letter to Emma Goldman
July 12, 1911. Emma Goldman Papers. Special Collections Library - Labadie Collection, University of Michigan. Word was sent out around the country and, all told, some $60 was raised, quite a sum for a small family at that time. Rather than spending the money on himself or his family, however, Winn spent the majority of the money on a new printing setup and began what was to be his last paper, known as ''The Advance''. On August 8, 1912, the degenerative infection of tuberculosis finally took Winn's life. He was still setting type on the August issue of ''The Advance'' the day before he died.

References

External links

* * A collection of writings by Ross Winn
"Ross Winn in the Anarchist Universe" by Robert P. Helms"Ross Winn: Digging Up a Tennessee Ananchist" by Nutmeg Brown and Ally GreenheadRoss Winn’s Obituary
by

* Ross Winn, "Let Us Unite," ''Twentieth Century'' (January 18, 1894). * Ross Winn
"Radical Reflections,"
''Free Society'' IX.3 (January 19, 1902). 1-2. * Celia B. Whitehead and Ross Winn
"How Will a Free Society Come, and How Will It Operate?"
''Free Society'' IX.6 (February 9, 1902). 5. * Ross Winn
"Anarchism Exploded"
''Free Society'' IX.7 (February 16, 1902), p. 3. {{DEFAULTSORT:Winn, Ross 1871 births 1912 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American non-fiction writers American anarchists American male non-fiction writers American political writers People from Mount Juliet, Tennessee People from Texas