The names James B. McNamara and John J. McNamara are inextricably linked to one of the most infamous acts of violence in early 20th-century American labor history: the Los Angeles Times bombing. On October 1, 1910, James B. McNamara, also known as J.B., detonated explosives at the Los Angeles Times Building, resulting in 21 deaths and over 100 injuries. This event, which the Los Angeles Times itself labeled the "crime of the century," brought intense
scrutiny upon the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers (IW) and its leadership, including J.B.'s older brother, John J. McNamara (J.J.), the union's secretary-treasurer. Their story encapsulates the volatile intersection of labor activism, industrial conflict, and criminal acts during a period of significant social unrest.
James B. McNamara: The Bomber's Path
James B. McNamara, born in 1882, became known as a dynamite expert and an apprentice dynamiter by 1909. His involvement in the Los Angeles Times bombing was a culmination of a period marked by intense labor disputes, particularly within the iron manufacturing industry. The IW had been engaged in a prolonged strike against American Bridge since 1906, struggling against the open shop campaign promoted by organizations like the National Erectors' Association (NEA). By 1910, while many unions in iron manufacturing had been suppressed, the IW continued its fight.
J.B. McNamara was specifically tasked with the Los Angeles bombing mission after other union dynamiters, including Herbert Hockin and Jack Barry, were either deemed untrustworthy or refused the assignment. On October 1, 1910, J.B. used a "clock machine" (time bomb) to destroy the Los Angeles Times building. Following the explosion, he fled, first to Salt Lake City and then to Chicago, attempting to evade capture for the devastating act that had shocked the nation.
John J. McNamara: Union Leader and Accused Conspirator
John J. McNamara, J.B.'s older brother, held a significant position as the secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. He was elected to this role in 1905. J.J. was a more outwardly respectable figure, described as 34 years old, handsome, athletic, well-dressed, and well-spoken, having even earned a law degree while working for the union. This public image made him an attractive figure for organized labor to rally behind when accusations of his involvement in the bombing campaign surfaced.
However, J.J. was implicated in the broader bombing campaign by Ortie McManigal's confession, which stated that McManigal had been handling the union's bombing campaign on orders from J.J. and union president Frank Ryan. J.J. himself reportedly boasted about blowing up the Times Building during a hunting trip, a detail uncovered by detective William J. Burns's undercover investigation. Despite his denials to figures like Samuel Gompers, the evidence gathered by Burns pointed to his complicity in the union's violent tactics.
Arrest, Defense, and Guilty Pleas
The arrests of J.B. and Ortie McManigal in Detroit on April 14, 1911, and J.J. McNamara in Indianapolis on April 22, were highly controversial. Organized labor vehemently protested the methods used, alleging kidnapping, misrepresentation by law enforcement, and unlawful imprisonment. They argued that the confessions were coerced and that the McNamaras were being framed, drawing parallels to the Bill Haywood case of 1906. Samuel Gompers, a powerful figure in the labor movement, believed J.J.'s claims of innocence and mobilized the entire U.S. labor movement to support the brothers' defense, raising funds and organizing rallies.
Despite the widespread support and the defense's initial strategy of blaming an accidental gas explosion for the Times fire, the situation changed dramatically. The defense, led by Clarence Darrow, eventually entered into plea negotiations. On December 1, 1911, both McNamara brothers pleaded guilty to their roles in the bombing. J.B. McNamara pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree for the Los Angeles Times bombing, while J.J. McNamara pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport dynamite and to a separate bombing in Los Angeles. This sudden reversal shocked their supporters and exposed the union's involvement in a nationwide campaign of violence, fundamentally altering the narrative surrounding the "crime of the century."
