In 1919, during the inflation that followed World War I, Boston police officers saw their wages hold steady while the cost of living and the incomes of other groups rose. The Boston Police Social Club affiliated as the Boston Police Union. The Police Commissioner refused to recognize the new union and terminated scores of union leaders. On September 9, 1919, the strike started with 1,117 of the city's 1,544 officers walking off the job. Governor Coolidge called in the state guard to put down the looting that resulted in 7 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The strikers were fired and never rehired. Coolidge went on to become President of the United States.