When Eugene became a professional functionary with the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (B of LF) in the early 1880s, serving as secretary-treasurer of the organization as well as editor of its monthly magazine, the young Theodore joined him as a general office worker, assisting with the production and mailing of magazines. By the late 1880s, Theodore was working full time as Gene's personal secretary for the B of LF, maintaining an office in the business section of Terre Haute. As the union's chief functionary, Gene Debs received a torrent of correspondence each day, dictating an endless stream of reply mail to Theodore, who quickly gained proficiency as a
typist. The brothers would remain close friends and co-workers for the rest of Gene's life. In the words of one biographer: "For more than forty years, when Gene felt the need of long-visioned counsel, undying devotion, a service sacrificial, tender, selfless, he turned to Theodore. Never did a
Damon love a Pythias more deeply than these two loved each other. The unassuming, sweet-tempered Theodore, perfectly willing to march into the fires of any hell for Gene's sake, was the ideal foil for Gene's more volatile temperament. A few drawled words from Theodore, ...and Gene would stop short on some headlong course and say quietly, 'You're right, Theodore. By God, you've got that right." The brothers were separated for a time, with the ARU launching in 1893 with headquarters in Chicago, while Theodore remained in Terre Haute to look after publishing operations there. Theodore was drafted into service on behalf of the ARU, however, traveling with President Gene and Vice President
George W. Howard to
St. Paul, Minnesota, in April 1894 to end a strike of ARU workers on the
Great Northern Railroad through
compulsory arbitration. In conjunction with this strike, Theodore seems to have served as
consigliere and personal secretary to his brother rather than participating directly in negotiations.
Political activism His brother Eugene was sentenced to a six-month jail term for
contempt of court for violating an anti-strike
injunction in connection with the
Pullman Strike of 1894, serving his sentence in 1895. A stenographer was hired by the union to assist Debs with correspondence; Theodore remained in Terre Haute. Gene emerged from jail a prominent and controversial public figure – a beloved icon and martyr to many. The American Railway Union was essentially bankrupted and driven underground by the costly prosecution, jailing of its national leaders, and
blacklisting of its rank and file members. Its effectiveness as a trade union was dramatically attenuated. On January 1, 1897, Eugene Debs publicly proclaimed himself a socialist in a statement to the press. Later that year, at a convention bringing together the handful of remaining dedicated adherents to the organization, the ARU was terminated and a new organization established in its place – the
Social Democracy of America (SDA). == Personal life and death ==