Harry Clay Bates (November 22, 1882 – April 4, 1969) was an American labor union leader. Born in

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

, Bates completed an apprenticeship as a bricklayer in his home town, and in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

. He joined the Bricklayers, Masons, and Plasterers International Union in 1900, and in 1910, he was elected as president of its local in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. In 1914, he was additionally elected as president of the Texas State Conference of Bricklayers. In 1916, Bates began working full-time for the union. In 1933, he became a vice-president of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

(AFL) and then in 1936, he was elected as president of the bricklayers. Initially, he used his posts to promote the construction of more housing. Over time, he became close with

George Meany William George Meany (August 16, 1894 – January 10, 1980) was an American labor union leader for 57 years. He was the key figure in the creation of the AFL–CIO and served as the AFL–CIO's first president, from 1955 to 1979. Meany, the son ...

, president of the AFL, and with Meany and

William F. Schnitzler William Frank Schnitzler (January 21, 1904 – June 17, 1983) was an American labor union leader. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Schnitzler began working on a peddler's wagon, then during World War I worked in an ammunition factory. In the 1920s, he ...

, he negotiated its merger with the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

, which formed the AFL-CIO. He served on the executive of the new federation. Bates served on the Wage Stabilization Committee during both

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. In 1958, he was a delegate to the

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. He retired from the bricklayers in 1960, but remained on the AFL-CIO executive until 1967. Early in 1969, he suffered a heart attack and moved to Florida to recuperate, but he died there in April.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Harry C. 1882 births 1969 deaths American trade union leaders People from Denton, Texas Trade unionists from Texas Vice Presidents of the American Federation of Labor Vice presidents of the AFL–CIO