They had ten children, only seven of whom survived to adulthood: Christian, Henry, Minnie, Dorothea, William (Bill), Emily, and George.

As the organizing drive continued throughout 1920 and 1921, both sides undertook a program of bombings, beatings, intimidation, extortion, and bribery.

[4][5][10][12][13] Defenders of the convicts claim law enforcement officials ignored evidence of employer crimes after the employers' association pressured city officials to break the union and used the public relations campaign to whip up anti-union public sentiment.

[4][5][12] The employer organization's campaign against BSEIU continued, but the union's extensive political activity (Quesse had founded the Cook County Wage Earners' League to act as a political action committee for labor unions in the city)[14] prior to the organizing drive had won it supporters in City Hall.

Quesse's ties to Republican Mayor William Hale Thompson helped protect the union.

[5][12][16][17] In the last three years of his life, Quesse built BSEIU into the most powerful labor union in Chicago.

[17] Quesse's close friend, Chicago City Alderman Oscar Nelson, who was at his side when he died, was named interim president of BSEIU.