Frank Duffy (labor leader)
Encyclopedia
Frank Duffy was an American
labor
leader and secretary-general of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
from 1901 to 1950.
, where Duffy became a carpenter.
Duffy joined the United Order of American Carpenters
. When the New York City local formed a district council, Duffy was elected its first president. After the United Order merged with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in 1888, Duffy was elected to a number of posts in the new Local 478 in New York City.
in 1901. The same year, he was elected the union's general-secretary, a position which he held until 1950. He was a close associate of UBCJ president William Hutcheson
.
In 1903, Duffy was elected a vice-president of the nascent Structural Building Trades Alliance
, a federation of building and construction trades unions. When the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
refused to join the Alliance, preventing Bricklayer president George P. Gubbins from assuming his duties as Alliance president, Duffy assumed the duties of president for a year until a new president was elected.
In 1918, Duffy was elected a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor
. He served until 1940.
In 1919, Duffy served as one of several American labor representatives to the Paris Peace Conference
in 1919.
Duffy retired in 1950 at the age of 89. He died in Indianapolis, Indiana
, in 1955.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader and secretary-general of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America is one of the largest building trades union in the United States. One of the unions that formed the American Federation of Labor in 1886, it left the AFL-CIO in 2001.-Early years:...
from 1901 to 1950.
Early life and union work
Duffy was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, in 1861. He had only a few years of schooling before he married. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1881. The Duffys settled in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where Duffy became a carpenter.
Duffy joined the United Order of American Carpenters
United Order of American Carpenters
The United Order of American Carpenters and Joiners was a trade union in the United States. It represented carpenters in the New York City area, making it one of the largest carpenters' unions in the U.S. in the 1880s. It merged with the Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1888 to form the United...
. When the New York City local formed a district council, Duffy was elected its first president. After the United Order merged with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America in 1888, Duffy was elected to a number of posts in the new Local 478 in New York City.
UBCJ and AFL-CIO offices
In 1900, Duffy was elected to the national executive council of the Carpenters. He played a key role in ousting long-time Carpenters president Peter J. McGuirePeter J. McGuire
Peter J. McGuire was an American labor leader of the nineteenth century, the founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and one of the leading figures in the first three decades of the American Federation of Labor...
in 1901. The same year, he was elected the union's general-secretary, a position which he held until 1950. He was a close associate of UBCJ president William Hutcheson
William Hutcheson
William Hutcheson was the leader of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1915 until 1952. A conservative craft unionist, he opposed the organization of workers in mass production industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing into industrial unions...
.
In 1903, Duffy was elected a vice-president of the nascent Structural Building Trades Alliance
Structural Building Trades Alliance
The Structural Building Trades Alliance was an American federation of labor unions in the construction industry. It was founded in 1903 and existed until 1908, when it affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and became the Building Trades Department.The organization's primary goal was...
, a federation of building and construction trades unions. When the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers is a labor union in the United States and Canada which represents bricklayers, pointers/cleaners/caulkers, stone and marble masons, cement masons, plasterers, tilesetters, terrazzo and mosaic workers...
refused to join the Alliance, preventing Bricklayer president George P. Gubbins from assuming his duties as Alliance president, Duffy assumed the duties of president for a year until a new president was elected.
In 1918, Duffy was elected a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
. He served until 1940.
In 1919, Duffy served as one of several American labor representatives to the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
in 1919.
Duffy retired in 1950 at the age of 89. He died in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, in 1955.