Edward J. Carlough (April 10, 1932 – June 29, 1994) was an American
labor leader and president of the
Sheet Metal Workers International Association from 1970 to 1993.
Carlough was born in 1932 to
Edward F. Carlough in
New York City. He was educated in public schools in New York. He completed his schooling in
Washington, D.C. after his father was elected to national office in the Sheet Metal Workers.
Carlough apprenticed as a sheet metal worker with Local Union 28 in New York City in 1949. He graduated from
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
with a
bachelor's degree in
political science in 1954.
In 1956, Carlough was appointed a field representative with
Labor's League for Political Education, an early
political action committee of the
AFL-CIO. He continued with the department after it became known as the
Committee on Political Education
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
.
In 1957, Carlough was appointed director of research for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association. His father was elected international union president in 1959, and Carlough was appointed the union's organizing director in 1960.
Carlough was elected president of the Sheet Metal Workers in 1970 after his father retired. He was a strong critic of President
Richard Nixon, and fought vigorously against wage-and-price controls. During his tenure as president, he improved pension, health and training programs. he also built up the union's international program, particularly in
Poland.
In 1993, Edward J. Carlough resigned as president of the Sheet Metal Workers after union members strongly criticized his lavish lifestyle and excessive spending. Carlough had a year left in his term.
Arthur Moore succeeded him as union president.
Carlough retired to
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
. He died of cancer during a trip to
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
.
Carlough had a wife, June, three daughters and one son.
References
*Dine, Philip. "Local Leader Takes on Chief of Union, Wins." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch.'' December 31, 1993.
*"Edward F. Carlough, 81, Dies; Headed Sheet Metal Workers." ''New York Times.'' July 12, 1985.
*Mercey, Arch A. ''The Sheet Metal Workers' Story: A Chronicle of Fine Craftsmanship, 1888-1980.'' Washington, D.C.: Sheet Metal Workers' International Association, 1980.
*Sullivan, Ronald. "Edward Carlough, 62, Ex-Chief of Sheet Metal Workers Union." ''New York Times.'' July 1, 1994.
*Swoboda, Frank. "Sheet Metal Union Head Steps Down." ''Washington Post.'' July 15, 1993.
1932 births
1994 deaths
American University School of Public Affairs alumni
Activists from New York City
Activists from Washington, D.C.
Sheet metal workers
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