J. Curtis Counts
Encyclopedia
James Curtis Counts known primarily by his first initial and middle name, was an American
lawyer
and labor mediator who served as the sixth Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
, appointed by President of the United States
Richard Nixon
.
, where his father was a carpenter, and where his grandfather had mined gold. After settling briefly in Northern California
, the family moved to Los Angeles
when he was a child. In Los Angeles his father worked constructing sets for the Hollywood movie studios. Counts was a star athlete at Fairfax High School
as a first baseman
for the school's baseball team. He also played baseball at the University of California, Los Angeles
, lettering three seasons and later inducted as a member in the inaugural class of the Bruin Baseball Hall of Fame. He graduated from UCLA in 1937 with a degree in political science
.
Counts attended the University of Southern California Law School
. While in law school, his girlfriend and future wife, Virginia Shugart, was the roommate of Pat Ryan
, the girlfriend and future wife of Richard Nixon
, and they first met each other at a party following the 1939 Rose Bowl
in which Counts' USC team beat Duke University
, where Nixon was attending law school. The two couples double dated, and the Nixons participated in the wedding party at the Counts wedding, and the they remained longtime friends. Counts graduated with his law degree in 1941.
in Santa Monica, California
in 1940. He started as a clerk, and entered a management training program, after which he ascended the corporate ladder to become the firm's director of employee relations in 1962. In 1964 he was named as a vice president at the company. He was actively involved in labor relations during his career, and was viewed as open-minded by his counterparts at the International Association of Machinists.
United States Secretary of Labor
George P. Shultz
selected Counts in 1969 to serve as Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
, insisting that Counts was selected based on his widely respected qualifications in the field, and not on his longtime connection to President Nixon. Serving in the position until 1973, Counts was given credit for expanding the service's ability to resolve labor disputes before they turned into strikes, dealing effectively with labor leaders such as Jimmy Hoffa
of the Teamsters
, AFL-CIO
president George Meany
and Walter Reuther
of the United Auto Workers
.
Early during his tenure, Counts played a role in resolving a three-month long strike by the International Union of Electrical Workers against General Electric
. After becoming involved in the strike on January 7, 1970, Counts met several times daily with each side, helping hammer out an agreement to end the labor stoppage. He also was involved in settling a strike by the International Longshoremen's Association
that effectively closed ports on the East Coast of the United States
, helping achieve settlements with locals in Boston
and Texas
.
After his service in the Nixon Administration, Counts worked as a management consultant, involved in collective bargaining
in construction and trucking.
described Counts as someone who enjoyed eating, a fact he said "you can tell just by looking at me" and his "portly" 5'-10", 210 pounds (95.3 kg) body. He would cook breakfast for his family most mornings, and enjoyed cooking barbecue, Mexican food and omelets.
Counts died at age 83 on June 30, 1999 at his home in the Cheviot Hills
section Los Angeles
, California
where he had lived for five decades. He was survived by two daughters, a son, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. His wife, the former Virginia Shugart Counts, had died in 1996.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and labor mediator who served as the sixth Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (USA)
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is an independent agency of the United States government, founded in 1947, which provides mediation services to industry, community and government agencies worldwide. One of its most common tasks is to help to mediate labor disputes around the country....
, appointed by President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Early life and education
Counts was born on August 2, 1915, in Goldfield, ColoradoGoldfield, Colorado
Goldfield is a census-designated place in Teller County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 49.-Reference:...
, where his father was a carpenter, and where his grandfather had mined gold. After settling briefly in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, the family moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when he was a child. In Los Angeles his father worked constructing sets for the Hollywood movie studios. Counts was a star athlete at Fairfax High School
Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)
Fairfax High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located in Los Angeles, USA, near the border of West Hollywood in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles...
as a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for the school's baseball team. He also played baseball at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, lettering three seasons and later inducted as a member in the inaugural class of the Bruin Baseball Hall of Fame. He graduated from UCLA in 1937 with a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Counts attended the University of Southern California Law School
University of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...
. While in law school, his girlfriend and future wife, Virginia Shugart, was the roommate of Pat Ryan
Pat Nixon
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...
, the girlfriend and future wife of Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, and they first met each other at a party following the 1939 Rose Bowl
1939 Rose Bowl
The 1939 Rose Bowl was the 25th Rose Bowl college football game, that took place in 1939. It featured the Southern California Trojans against the Duke Blue Devils . Duke led after an early fourth quarter,...
in which Counts' USC team beat Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where Nixon was attending law school. The two couples double dated, and the Nixons participated in the wedding party at the Counts wedding, and the they remained longtime friends. Counts graduated with his law degree in 1941.
Professional career
Counts was hired by Douglas Aircraft CompanyDouglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
in 1940. He started as a clerk, and entered a management training program, after which he ascended the corporate ladder to become the firm's director of employee relations in 1962. In 1964 he was named as a vice president at the company. He was actively involved in labor relations during his career, and was viewed as open-minded by his counterparts at the International Association of Machinists.
United States Secretary of Labor
United States Secretary of Labor
The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
George P. Shultz
George P. Shultz
George Pratt Shultz is an American economist, statesman, and businessman. He served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1969 to 1970, as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1972 to 1974, and as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1982 to 1989...
selected Counts in 1969 to serve as Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (USA)
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is an independent agency of the United States government, founded in 1947, which provides mediation services to industry, community and government agencies worldwide. One of its most common tasks is to help to mediate labor disputes around the country....
, insisting that Counts was selected based on his widely respected qualifications in the field, and not on his longtime connection to President Nixon. Serving in the position until 1973, Counts was given credit for expanding the service's ability to resolve labor disputes before they turned into strikes, dealing effectively with labor leaders such as Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
of the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
, AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
president George Meany
George Meany
William George Meany led labor union federations in the United States. As an officer of the American Federation of Labor, he represented the AFL on the National War Labor Board during World War II....
and Walter Reuther
Walter Reuther
Walter Philip Reuther was an American labor union leader, who made the United Automobile Workers a major force not only in the auto industry but also in the Democratic Party in the mid 20th century...
of the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
.
Early during his tenure, Counts played a role in resolving a three-month long strike by the International Union of Electrical Workers against General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. After becoming involved in the strike on January 7, 1970, Counts met several times daily with each side, helping hammer out an agreement to end the labor stoppage. He also was involved in settling a strike by the International Longshoremen's Association
International Longshoremen's Association
The International Longshoremen's Association is a labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways...
that effectively closed ports on the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, helping achieve settlements with locals in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
After his service in the Nixon Administration, Counts worked as a management consultant, involved in collective bargaining
Collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
in construction and trucking.
Personal
Counts coached sandlot baseball teams, including players that had made it to the major leagues. A 1970 profile in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described Counts as someone who enjoyed eating, a fact he said "you can tell just by looking at me" and his "portly" 5'-10", 210 pounds (95.3 kg) body. He would cook breakfast for his family most mornings, and enjoyed cooking barbecue, Mexican food and omelets.
Counts died at age 83 on June 30, 1999 at his home in the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, California
Cheviot Hills is a small residential district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California. It served as the location for the Three's Company spin-off The Ropers.-Geography:...
section Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he had lived for five decades. He was survived by two daughters, a son, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. His wife, the former Virginia Shugart Counts, had died in 1996.