Shelley Appleton (

né The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Apfelberg; June 11, 1919 - July 27, 2005) was an American

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

executive and attorney who served as vice-president and general secretary treasurer of the

International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) was a labor union for employees in the women's clothing industry in the United States. It was one of the largest unions in the country, one of the first to have a primarily female membersh ...

Early life

Appleton was born June 11, 1919 in New York City, the younger of two sons, to Isadore Apfelberg (1888-1959) and Sarah Apfelberg (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Somer; 1897-1976), both Jewish immigrants from Galicia. He and his brother, Stephen,

americanized Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of the American culture and economy on other countries outside the United States, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, technology ...

their names at some point from Apfelberg to Appleton. He graduated from New York University in 1940 with a Bachelor of Arts respectively LL.B.

Career

Appleton was an organizer in the Eastern Out-of-Town Department from 1941 to 1942. After serving in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and earning a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

for his service, Appleton became Business Agent in the ILGWU's Office and Distribution Employees Local 99 in 1946. In 1951, Appleton was elected Assistant Manager of Local 99, and in 1953, Manager of Local 99. In 1959, Appleton left Local 99 to become manager of the Skirt and Sportswear Workers Local 23, a position he maintained through the merger of Local 23 and 25 to create Local 23–25. In 1961, he was elected a Vice-President of the ILGWU. He retired from the ILGWU in 1983. In addition to his work with the ILGWU, Appleton served as chairman of the ILGWU's international affairs committee, member of the Women's American ORT (

Organization for Rehabilitation through Training ORT (), also known as the Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training, is a global education network driven by Jewish values. It promotes education and training in communities worldwide. Its activities throughout its history have spanned mor ...

), board member of the National Committee for Rural Schools, treasurer of the Reunion of Old Timers, chairman of the World ORT Union (1980-1983), and president of the Tamiment Institute (1986-2005).

Personal life

He married Jean Dubinsky (1919-2015), the only daughter of

David Dubinsky David Dubinsky (; born David Isaac Dobnievski; February 22, 1892 – September 17, 1982) was a Belarusian-born American labor leader and politician. He served as president of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) between 1932 a ...

, who was previously married to Captain Lester Narins by

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry La Guardia (born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 99th mayor of New Yo ...

himself. She had a daughter from this previous marriage. Appleton resided on Bank Street in the

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...

for the majority of his life. They sold their

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

to the Arons family, who is known for co-founding of Kate Spade.

Sources

ILGWU. Communication Department biography files. 5780/177. Kheel Center for Labor Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University.
"Shelley Appleton, Garment Union Official, 86." New York Times. 29 Jul. 2005. Web. 26 Jan 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appleton, Shelley International Ladies Garment Workers Union leaders 1919 births 2005 deaths Trade unionists from New York (state) New York University School of Law alumni United States Army personnel of World War II