Maurice Albert Hutcheson (May 7, 1897 – January 9, 1983) was a carpenter and an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

leader. He was president of the

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, often simply the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), was formed in 1881 by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. It has become one of the largest trade unions in the United State ...

from 1952 to 1972. He was nicknamed "Maurice the Silent" for his taciturn nature and ability to sit silently through long meetings or heated debates.

Early life

He was born in

Saginaw County, Michigan Saginaw County, officially the County of Saginaw, is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully orga ...

, to

William Hutcheson William Hutcheson (February 6, 1874 – October 20, 1953) 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 ...

and his wife Bessie Mae (King). He was educated in public schools. The Hutcheson family moved to

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

in 1913 when William Hutcheson (his father) was elected president of the Carpenters' union. The younger Hutcheson apprenticed as a carpenter in 1914 and served 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 ...

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 ...

. After the war, he returned to carpentry. He was appointed a financial auditor for the international union in 1928, and was elected an international vice president in 1938. After his father's death, Maurice was elected president.

Tenure as president

Hutcheson immediately withdrew the Carpenters from 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) when, shortly after his election, the AFL signed a no-raid agreement 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 ...

(CIO). However, he re-affiliated the union just three weeks later. He was elected a vice president of the AFL in 1953 and served on the federation's executive council. After the merger of the AFL and CIO in 1955, he was elected a vice president of the merged organization as well. In 1954, he signed a jurisdictional agreement with the

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is an AFL–CIO/ CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries with most of its membership in the United States and Canada. Or ...

, ending a 40-year dispute. In 1957, he was cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to appear before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations led by Senator

John L. McClellan John Little McClellan (February 25, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American lawyer and a segregationist politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1935–1939) and a U.S. Senator (1943–1977) fro ...

and answer questions about labor racketeering. Hutcheson was convicted of contempt of Congress in May 1960 and sentenced to six months in prison. The conviction was upheld by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. A federal district court judge converted the sentence to two years of probation in 1964. Hutcheson was later pardoned by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. Although he was critical of

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the u ...

president

Jimmy Hoffa James Riddle Hoffa (born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975; declared dead July 30, 1982) was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971. F ...

for permitting his union to be dominated by

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

, Hutcheson voted against the resolution ejecting the union sponsored by AFL-CIO president

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 ...

in 1957. The resolution passed over his objection. In 1958, Hutcheson and two Carpenters union officials were accused of bribing an

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

state official to obtain advance notice of the nature and location of future highway projects. Law enforcement officials said Hutcheson and the others had made an $81,000 profit by buying the land on which a highway was to be built and then selling it to the state. All three men turned their profits over to the state and were convicted in 1960. The Indiana Supreme Court unanimously threw out the convictions in 1963, holding that there were no grounds for a conspiracy conviction. The conviction nearly led to Hutcheson's removal from the AFL-CIO's Executive Council, but Meany—whom Hutcheson had strongly supported through the years—blocked the removal when Hutcheson threatened to pull his union from the federation.

End of his life

After his retirement, he lived in

Milan, Indiana Milan ( ) is a town in Franklin Township, Ripley County, Indiana, Franklin and Washington Township, Ripley County, Indiana, Washington townships, Ripley County, Indiana, Ripley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,899 at the ...

. Shortly before his death, he moved to Florida. Maurice Hutcheson died in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

. Hutcheson's wife, the former Ethel Hyatt, died in 1977. The couple had no children.

Early life

Tenure as president

End of his life

See also

References