George Ellsworth Boomer was a Washington State socialist who really deserves a full biography, and my little profile will not do justice to this interesting character who was far ahead of his time. Although his run for Washington State Governor was a century ago, there is much about his story that seems familiar and universal today. In reading about his zeal one is struck by the parallels with religious missionaries, an observation that would have no doubt upset Boomer. Yet even other socialists made note of this.

In IWW jargon a "Boomer" was someone who was a wanderer, who followed boomtowns and good times. George sort of fit that description in terms of seeking a place in the world where he thought opportunity was ripe for his cause.

Boomer was born in Lewiston, Maine Nov. 28, 1862. "Slight and frail," wrote Harvey O'Connor, "he was the son of cotton mill workers .. At the age of 12 he went to work in the mill, at 65 cents for a 12 1/4-hour day. As required by law, he attended school three months a year. He became a newsboy and then a printer in Providence, Rhode Island." His mill worker experience shaped his world view.