Nationality United States Died April 8, 1941 Name Urbain Ledoux | Occupation Diplomat, activist Other names Mr. Zero | |
 | ||
Born 1874-08-13 ( 1874-08-13 ) Sainte-Helene-de-Bagot, Quebec Known for breadlines for unemployed | ||
Urbain J. Ledoux (August 13, 1874 – April 8, 1941), later known as "Mr. Zero", referring to his not wanting his own name to be prominent, was motivated early in his quest of service to humanity. He sought to become a Catholic priest at 15 but witnessed a case of priest abuse and soon quit the priesthood about the age of 17. He began to work for law and business interests as a means of progress for humanity. He then sought to serve in diplomatic service for the United States with this approach and earned a few promotions. His approach of advocating for business development as a means to promote the interests of humanity was challenged, that it would be fruitless for higher aims unless personal transformation were brought to bear. He quit the diplomatic service and sought to work with non-governmental organizations for both business and peace interests. Soon he was working with the Bahá'ís and present during the conflict over the status of Sarah Farmer. He led the efforts to free her from involuntary confinement in an insane asylum, ultimately gathering a chief of police and a judge to accompany a court order to effect her freedom. He then began to found institutions seeking to aide humanity, making news first with the unemployment after the First World War among workers and veterans with a breadline in 1919. He advocated for the Bahá'í Faith albeit with a limited understanding of the principles of the religion and proceeded to set up events aimed at raising awareness of the suffering of the unemployed in New York and Boston. His efforts were seen as too confrontational and his events were repeatedly shut down even when he sought to be less confrontational and have discussions with leaders. The work was renewed with greater intensity during the Great Depression but he was in his 60s already and died soon after. Some of his work and antics were recorded in pictures and newsreels.
Contents
Biography
Born August 13, 1874 in Sainte-Hélène-de-Bagot, Quebec, his family soon moved to Biddeford, Maine. He had limited schooling and began to work to support the family at age nine. He was also an altar boy and read French religious books. At 15 he sought the Catholic priesthood at a seminary in Marieville, Quebec. Two years later he witnessed a case of priest abuse of an altar boy, quit the priesthood and soon began work at a law firm back in Maine. He also began to organize political clubs, became Republican ward leader, and launched the first French language publications and newspaper stories in Maine.
In 1895 Ledoux sought an open consulate position with the US Government at the age of 21 and was assigned to Trois-Rivières where he engaged in promoting business interests, French language and culture in an anglophone situation as well as seeking balance in that advocacy. He was promoted in 1903 and sent as consul to Prague and served business interests. In 1907 he was promoted again but chose not to accept appointment to Brazil. He had been challenged that his goals required a means to transform human nature. He returned to the States in 1910 and was involved in Boston area peace initiatives the same year. In 1912 he was working with peace activist Paul Otlet.
In 1915 Ledoux was working with Bahá'ís, especially at Green Acre, and would later credit much of his actions to the motivations he perceived in the Bahá'í Faith. He was perhaps the third francophone Bahá'í born out of Canada. At the time Sarah Farmer, founder of Green Acre, was ill and had been involuntarily committed to an insane asylum. Ledoux led the effort to free her which, though it was confrontaitonal, included the local chief of police and judge in the attempt with a court order. `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, praised his work freeing Farmer.
That year Henry Ford financed the Peace Ship mission to attempt to end World War I, setting sail in December 1915. Ledoux attempted to join the expedition but wasn't accepted. Instead he jumped off the pier and made a spectacle swimming after the ship - an act that got notice in the newspapers and entered him into public awareness.
As his actions became more pronounced he convincingly protested that his aims were apolitical, nor to be an agitator, or Bolshevist - that his aims were religiously based. He claimed he was trying "to awaken the slumbering conscience of the people."
His institutions
In the vicinity of Greenacre Ledoux opened a "Unity Hotel" in 1917.
During the war he began to assist in the repercussion of war among the families of soldiers and after the Armistice he began assist to jobless veterans.
The Stepping Stone
In April 1919 Ledoux opened a breadline named "The Stepping Stone" near Bowery and 9th Street in NY. He did this with the assistance of some Bahá'ís as well as some financial support. Mason Remey went down one time to see what it was like and was taken up in the enthusiasm both of the work and the chance to talk.
A picture was taken of "The Stepping Stone" and several newspapers covered that it was set up. Also in April 1919 he had an article published in Star of the West called "The Oneness of the World of Humanity". In June `Abdu'l-Bahá sent a message hoping he would promulgate the religion, unity of humanity, universal peace, and overcome prejudices dividing the world. In August he was one of the signatories of a letter to `Abdu'l-Baha hoping for a return trip to the United States. He met Dane Rudhyar who inquired about the religion but did not join. In April 1920 he was a delegate to the national convention of the Bahá'ís. In January 1921 he was helping to run a Bahá'í meeting in NY. At the same time he was in the national media like The Nation. A biographical sketch of him was done in The Survey, a journal of charity under Paul Underwood Kellogg, and The New Republic, in October and The Independent in Nov. Each painting him in different ways.
Some of the coverage echoed his advocacy of the Bahá'í Faith, and was sometimes confused with Buddhism, - a confusion that echoes more recently.
The picture was eventually acquired by Getty Images, has been used some 90 years later and has been noticed by Bahá'ís and others.
Further endeavors
Ledoux escalated his efforts and organized the unemployed and former soldiers, setting up hotels for them to stay in, trying to get them invited to President Harding's inaugural ball, and eventually ran afoul of the law while presenting their case and them to the socialites of New York. He still escalated and held a public slave auction of the jobless war veterans. His second event was staged on the steps of the New York Public Library. The authorities began to systematically reject his applications for events. In 1921, he did the same in Boston and had some success, including getting 150 people jobs, but after a major confrontation decreased his confrontational approach, instead relying on churches for contributions for relief to the poor. He gained an audience with President Harding but it did not lead to a change. While in Washington, he gave several talks at the Bahá'í Center though in his enthusiasm some of his points were clearly off base compared to those of the Faith. Refusing to learn the formal teachings of the religion, the remainder of his talks were canceled. Meanwhile, he was praised as a mystic. While away from Boston, much of what he had set up had been dismantled, and he tried to move the starving to another hotel. In a confrontation with the desk clerk, he was able to chastise the refusal to help with sixteen relevant passages from the Gospel of Matthew but the clerk was not moved enough to allow them to stay.
Ledoux broadened his advocacy for all the unemployed and labored further for years before and during the Great Depression. He had an event holding a lantern "looking for an honest man" or "a Christian delegate" who would address the wrongs in society; eventually he drew attention to Eugene Victor Debs. He downplayed the inspiration of the Bahá'í Faith because of xenophobic fears among the public. Films were taken of him trying to promote the work. Pictures were taken too.
He died in April 1941, with his daughter Yvette from his time in his first consular job, having moved there to help him. Obituaries were published by Associated Press and United Press International as well as independently. In 1973 a Ed.D thesis was done on Ledoux.