INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION

The 'Industrial Commission' was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentration, and the impact of immigration on labor markets, and make recommendations to the President and Congress. McKinley and the Commissioners launched the trust-busting era. The Industrial Commission included McKinley's Ohio running mate, Commissioner Andrew L. Harris (a Governor of Ohio and Civil War General) who served as Chair of the Agriculture Subcommittee, and prominent Senators and Congressmen. After McKinley was assassinated in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt heeded the advice of the Commissioners and further regulated the large trusts. Roosevelt became known as the nation's toughest trust-buster.