Thomas, R.J. (Rolland Jay), 1900-1967

George C. Edwards, Jr. Papers, Parts 1-4

drice — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:39:40 -0400

George Edwards, Jr., son of George Clifton Edwards, attended Harvard University where he became involved with the Student League for Industrial Democracy. After coming to Detroit in 1936, he became a UAW organizer with Walter Reuther, was appointed director of the Detroit Housing Commission, and served on the Detroit Common Council. After serving in WWII, he went into private practice, followed by judgeships in the Wayne County court system. In 1956, Edwards was appointed to the Michigan State Supreme Court. In 1962 he was invited by Mayor Jerome Cavanagh to the post of Police Commissioner of Detroit where he focused his attention on organized crime and discrimination. After serving two years he was nominated to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by President John F. Kennedy, and eventually served as a Chief Judge. He retired in 1991 and passed away in 1995.

Parts I-III of his papers reflects his early high school and college days, including correspondence with his father and material from his involvement in several student groups. Edward, Jr.'s various judicial campaigns, particularly his Michigan Supreme Court appointment, as well as his directorship of the Detroit Housing Commission are documented. Personal papers, including wartime correspondence with his wife, are included, as are newspaper clippings dealing with a variety of topics relevant to Detroit politics and events.

Part IV of Edwards, Jr.'s contains personal and career related correspondence from his service in the military through the 1980’s, with much focus on his nomination and confirmation to the Sixth Circuit Court. Included are many speeches and writings, his activities with professional organizations, a photocopy of his manuscript of the biography of his father, Pioneers at Law, and memorial tributes and letters of condolence to his family.

Henry Kraus Papers

drice — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:36:01 -0400

Mr. Kraus was the first editor of the UAW's newspaper The United Auto Worker (later changed to Solidarity). He was active in the early attempts by the UAW (first under the AFL and later under the CIO) to organize the auto industry. Files for the late 1920s and early 1930s cover the attempts by groups, including the Auto Workers Union of the Trade Union Unity League, to organize auto workers, and discuss such events as the Murray Body Strike (1929); the Ford Hunger March (1932); and the Briggs Strike (1933). There are many items pertaining to the AFL's work in the auto industry, such as material on the threatened auto strike of March 1934, the Toledo Auto-Lite and Chevrolet strikes of 1934 and 1935, and conferences and conventions of the UAW-AFL. The collection also has many files of the AFL's Detroit office for the early 1930s. Particularly well covered are the activities of the UAW-CIO from 1936 to 1940, including the South Bend Convention, the sit-downs, early attempts to organize Ford, and the Homer Martin controversy (resulting in the split of 1939). The Flint Sit-Down Strike and factionalism in the UAW are particularly well documented. Correspondents include nearly every major AFL, CIO, and UAW leader of the period. Among them are John Brophy, F. J. Dillon, Adolph Germer, William Green, John L. Lewis, Homer Martin, Rose Pesotta, Walter Reuther, and R. J. Thomas. Public figures include Charles Coughlin and Frank Murphy. Nine reels of microfilm complement content in Part I and are described in a separate guide.

Part 3 contains manuscripts, notes and research materials from Kraus’s three major books, as well as materials from his other books and writings including those on medieval art. Also included are transcripts of oral histories from a variety of individuals involved in the labor movement, especially those from the 1937 Flint Sit-Down Strike.

UAW Local 664 Records

drice — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:41:32 -0400

Established in 1939 when the International Executive Board revoked the charter of pro-Martin Local 118, United Auto Workers Local 664 serviced members at Fisher Body, Chevrolet, and Prophet Company in North Tarrytown, NY. The records reflect the Martin controversy, strikes, conferences, and other activities of the local.

UAW President's Office: R.J. Thomas Papers

drice — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:17:49 -0500

Minutes of the UAW Executive Board (1940-47). correspondence, clippings, reports, and memorabilia collected by Mr. Thomas during his tenure as president of the UAW (1939-46). and vice-president (1937-39 and 1946-47). He was assistant to Philip Murray from 1947 to 1956, and to George Meany from 1956 to 1964. Subjects of interest in the collection are UAW factionalism, General Motors Strike (1945-46). Allis Chalmers Strike (1947), the UAW war effort, and the organization of the West Coast aircraft industry. Correspondents include George Addes, John Brophy, Richard Frankensteen, Homer Martin, George Meany, Wyndham Mortimer, Frank Murphy, Victor Reuther, Walter Reuther, August Scholle, Maurice Sugar. An oral history interview with Mr. Thomas is available.

Subject Focus: WDET in the UAW Years

teller — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Metro Detroiters recognize radio station WDET 101.9 FM as Wayne State University’s local voice for National Public Radio. Prior to 1952, however, WDET served as the local voice for labor. Unhappy with the critical representation of the labor movement in newspapers and on the radio, in 1944 the United Automobile Workers filed applications with the Federal Communications Commission to run independent radio stations in six markets with strong labor ties: the UAW’s hometown of Detroit; Flint, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Newark, New Jersey. read more »

(11360) UAW, War Policy, War Bonds Drive

eclemens — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:49:27 -0400

August Scholle (left) and R.J. Thomas (right) participate in a rally that supports the purchase of defense savings bonds and stamps, location unknown.

(11456) Chrysler Strike, Settlement Committee, Detroit, Michigan, 1939

eclemens — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:17:28 -0400

Members of the Chrysler Strike settlement committee at work, Detroit, Michigan.

1. Herman Weckler; 2. James Dewey; 3. Arthur Raab of the State Labor Mediation Board; 4. R.J. Thomas, UAW president; 5. Maurice Sugar, union attorney; 6. Richard Frankensteen, UAW regional director in charge of Chrysler affairs.

(11485) Leafleting, Rouge Plant, Arrests, Dearborn, Michigan, 1940

eclemens — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:28:08 -0400

R.J. Thomas, president of the UAW; George Addes, UAW secretary-treasurer; and Richard Leonard, leader of the Ford organizing drive for the UAW are booked at the Dearborn police headquarters for defying a local ordinance that prohibited leafleting. At the far right (with pipe) is the union’s attorney, Maurice Sugar.

(11495) Contract Signing, Ford Strike, Dearborn, Michigan, 1941

eclemens — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:41:52 -0400

The contract between Ford Motor Company and the UAW is signed and ends the Ford Strike.

Left to right: Philip Murray, Harry Bennett, R.J.Thomas, George Addes

(11502) Defense Work, Cadillac Plant, Eleanor Roosevelt, Detroit, Michgian, 1944

eclemens — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:11:00 -0400

Detroit’s Cadillac Plant, transformed into a tank production facility in support of the U.S. war effort, receives a visit from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The Cadillac Plant was represented by UAW Local 174.

Left to right: Plant Chair Charles Trout, UAW President R.J. Thomas, Joseph Fogarty, Cadillac General Manager Nicholas Drystadt, and Mrs. Roosevelt.

(11504) Defense Work, Tours, Willow Run, Michigan, 1942

eclemens — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:35:57 -0400

The Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson tours the Willow run bomber plant, Willow Run, Michigan.

Left to right: Patterson, Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Governor Murray Van Wagoner, and UAW president R.J. Thomas

(11518) Conventions, R.J. Thomas, Buffalo, New York, 1941

eclemens — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:48:15 -0400

R.J. Thomas, President of the United Auto Workers (UAW), takes the dais at the 1941 convention, Buffalo, New York.

(11520) Conventions, Buffalo, New York, 1943

eclemens — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:06:21 -0400

Robert Patterson, Under-Secretary of War, addresses delegates at the wartime convention of 1943, Buffalo, New York.

Left to right: George Addes, R.J. Thomas, Patterson, Walter Reuther, and Richard Frankensteen.

(11521) Conventions, Elections, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1946

eclemens — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:13:59 -0400

Delegates at the 1946 convention hold signs showing support for their candidate in the election for union presidency between incumbent R.J. Thomas and Walter Reuther, Atlantic City, New Jersey.