Morris "Moe" Foner (1916 – January 10, 2002) was a labor leader active in Union 1199, the New York Health and Human Service Union.Steven Greenhouse
"Moe Foner, Labor Official and Movement's Unofficial Cultural Impresario, Dies at 86,"
''New York Times,'' January 11, 2002, pg. C13.

Biography

Early years

Foner was born and raised in the

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

neighborhood of Brooklyn. His parents were Polish Jews who had four sons, all of whom became active in leftist politics. His brothers

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

and Jack were professional historians (Jack was also the father of historian Eric Foner).

Henry Foner Henry Joseph Foner (March 23, 1919 – January 11, 2017) was a 20th-century Jewish-American social activist and president for more than two decades of the Joint Board, Fur, Leather and Machine Workers Union (FLM). He and his three older broth ...

led the Furriers' Union.

Union career

Foner started out as a leader in Department Store Local 1250, then moved on to Union 1199, where he became the director of education and culture. While there, he founded Bread and Roses, a cultural program for union members funded by the NEA. Foner wrote the foreword to '' Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made A Difference'', a children's book by

Joyce Hansen Joyce Viola Hansen (born October 18, 1942) is an American writer and retired schoolteacher. She has earned recognition for her books for children and youth, particularly her historical fiction and non-fiction works about African-American history ...

. The book featured images from a Bread and Roses poster series which aimed to "honor courageous, creative women of color whose persistence and vision gave society hopefulness and inspiration."

Death and legacy

Foner died on January 10, 2002. His daughter

Nancy Foner Nancy Foner is an American sociologist, a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hunter College, City University of New York, and a published author. Foner is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has also held the pr ...

is a sociologist.

Footnotes

External links

Notable New Yorkers - Moe Foner
Biography, photographs, and the audio and transcript of Moe Foner's oral history from the Notable New Yorkers collection of the Oral History Research Office at Columbia University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Foner, Moe Jewish American trade unionists Activists from New York City American people of Polish-Jewish descent Jewish socialists 1916 births 2002 deaths People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn