Forrest Herman Shuford (June 3, 1897 – May 19, 1954) was an American civil servant who served as

North Carolina Commissioner of Labor The Commissioner of Labor is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who leads the state's Department of Labor. North Carolina's general statues provide the commissioner with br ...

from 1938 to 1954.

Early life

Forrest Shuford was born on June 3, 1897, in

Lawndale, North Carolina Lawndale is a town in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States, situated along the First Broad River. The population was 606 at the 2010 census. History Lawndale developed in the late 19th century around the Cleveland Mills plant establish ...

, United States to J. M. Shuford and Ella Copeland Shuford. He was educated in

Cleveland County Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

public schools and graduated from Piedmont High School in Lawndale. He enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

on June 3, 1918 and served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On June 3, 1922, he married May Renfrow. Though he was raised as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Christian, his wife was an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

and he switched to her denomination following their marriage. They had two sons. Shuford attended Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, for three years. Afterwards, he studied textiles for a year at North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, before moving to New England to work at textile mills in

Harrisville, Rhode Island Harrisville is a census-designated place (CDP) and village in the town of Burrillville in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 1,605 at the 2010 census. Much of the community composes a historic district listed on ...

. He subsequently moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, to become assistant superintendent of Groves Mills. He left the job after contracting

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, for which he was treated at Oteen Veterans Administration Hospital, and became a school teacher. Shuford served as principal of Ellenboro High School from 1924 to 1925 and Spindale School from 1925 to 1926 before moving to High Point, where he worked as the city's Boys' Commissioner from 1925 until 1933. That year he was hired by

Arthur L. Fletcher as Chief Inspector in the Department of Labor. He was granted a leave of absence from the department from 1934 to 1935 to serve as the

National Recovery Administration The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...

Labor Compliance Officer for North Carolina.

Political career

Shuford was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In 1938 Fletcher resigned as Commissioner of Labor. North Carolina Governor Clyde Hoey appointed Shuford to fill the vacancy on September 12, as he was the most senior official within the labor department. He would subsequently be elected to four terms in the office. In 1944 he, at the direction of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, served as Advisor to American Governmental Delegates at an

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

conference in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1947 he served on the federal

Bureau of Labor Bureau ( ) may refer to: Agencies and organizations *Government agency *Public administration * News bureau, an office for gathering or distributing news, generally for a given geographical location * Bureau (European Parliament), the administrat ...

's Standards Safety Advisory Committee. Shuford died on May 19, 1954, at a hospital in

Washington D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

after being stricken by heart trouble while attending a conference on

migrant labor A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers who work outsi ...

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shuford, Forrest H. 1897 births North Carolina Commissioners of Labor North Carolina Democrats United States Navy personnel of World War I 1954 deaths