NORTH WESTERN UNION PACKET COMPANY

NORTH WESTERN UNION PACKET COMPANY. In 1866 the North Western Union Packet Company was headquartered in Dubuque and was an important factor in the city's economy. It spend at last $200,000 annually in the city and in 1865 paid taxes to the city and county in the amount of $6,981.40. (1)

This particular steamboat company is best remembered for the civil rights case in which it was involved. In 1873, the court heard Coger v. The North Western Union Packet Co. (2)

The case centered on a woman who, because of her African descent, was forcibly removed from the dining car of the steamboat on which she was traveling. The woman had an unrestricted meal ticket. The Iowa Supreme Court held that the woman was entitled to the same rights and privileges as white passengers. (3)

The same conclusion was not reached by the U.S. Supreme Court until Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964), a case that upheld the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (4)

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Source:

1. "The Upper Mississippi Navigation," Dubuque Herald, May 3, 1866, p. 1

2. 'Early Civil Rights Cases," Iowa Judicial Branch. Online: https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/iowa-courts-history/civil-rights/

3. "Supreme Court of Iowa. Emma Coger v. North Western Union Packet Company," The American Law Register (1852-1891) Vol. 22, No. 3, New Series Volume 13 (Mar., 1874), pp. 162-174 Online: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3303647?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

4. Ibid.