Thomas Kennedy (November 2, 1887 – January 19, 1963) was a

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

and president of the

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...

(UMWA) from 1960 to 1963. Kennedy was born in 1887 in Lansford, Pennsylvania. He started work in the mines at the age of 12, breaking large chunks of coal into smaller pieces. He joined the Mine Workers in 1900, and was elected secretary of Local 1738 in 1903. He was elected to the District 7 board in 1908, and as District 7 president in 1910; he served until 1925. During this time, he was UMWA's chief negotiator for contracts with anthracite coal mine owners. In 1925, he was elected UMWA's secretary-treasurer. He left that position when he was elected an international vice president in 1947. During his tenure as a UMWA vice president, he led the battle to convince 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 ...

to embrace social insurance and unemployment insurance. He was elected lieutenant governor of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1934, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office since

Chauncey Black Chauncey Forward Black (November 24, 1839 – December 2, 1904) was the third lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1883 to 1887. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1886. Biography Born in Glades, Pennsylvania ...

left office in 1887. He ran for governor four years later, but was defeated when the state Democratic

political machine In the politics of Representative democracy, representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a hig ...

decided not to support him. Kennedy tetlow lewis

Kennedy was appointed to the

National Defense Mediation Board The National Defense Mediation Board (NDMB) was a United States federal agency established by Executive Order 8716 on March 19, 1941, that settled disputes between labor and management during the prewar defense period.Atleson, 1998: 30 The exec ...

in 1941, but resigned in protest later that year after the board ruled against UMWA in the "captive mines" case. He was re-appointed in 1942, but resigned again when the board issued its "Little Steel" organizing decision. After Lewis' retirement in 1960, Kennedy was elected president of the union. Although Lewis favored

W. A. Boyle William Anthony "Tough Tony" Boyle (December 1, 1904 – May 31, 1985) was an American miner, union leader, and convicted murder-for-hire conspirator. He became president of the United Mine Workers of America union in 1963, serving until 1972. Bo ...

as his successor, Kennedy was well liked and well known. Kennedy was in failing health, however, and Boyle took over many of the president's duties. In November 1962, Kennedy became too ill to continue his duties and Boyle was named acting president. Kennedy died on January 19, 1963, in

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,963 at the 2020 census. Hazleton is the second largest city in Luzerne County. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on Decembe ...

, and Boyle was elected president as his successor.

References

*Dubofsky, Warren and Van Tine, Warren. ''John L. Lewis: A Biography.'' Reprint ed. Champaign, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1992. *Fink, Gary M., ed. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Labor.'' Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1984. *Finley, Joseph E. ''The Corrupt Kingdom: The Rise and Fall of the United Mine Workers.'' New York City: Simon and Schuster, 1973. *McGovern, George S. and Guttridge, Leonard F. ''The Great Coalfield War.'' Paperback reissue ed. Niwot, Colo.: University Press of Colorado, 2004.

External links

United Mine Workers of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Thomas American coal miners Presidents of the United Mine Workers American trade unionists of Irish descent Lieutenant Governors of Pennsylvania 1887 births 1963 deaths Pennsylvania Democrats 20th-century American politicians