Robert Fechner (March 22, 1876 – December 31, 1939) was a national labor union leader and director of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(1933–39), which played a central role in the development of state and national parks in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Born in Chattanooga,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, with only a public school elementary education he rose to become an American labor union leader and vice president of the

International Association of Machinists 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 ...

. He had a reputation for fairness, tact, and patience in all his dealings.Wirth, Conrad L. ''Parks Politics, and the People''. University of Oklahoma Press. 1980. p. 80 On April 5, 1933 he was appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to be the Director of the

(CCC). It was Fechner's fairness and ability for organization and administration that impressed the president to his appointment as director. Although he had been an important labor figure, Fechner objected to attempts of union organizers to form unions among CCC enrollees in the camps. He felt that the government was doing all it possibly could for the well-being of the enrollees: well fed, supporting dependents with monthly earnings, getting an education; and they were contributing in a constructive manner to the conservation needs of the nation. The need for a union in this situation was not necessary, and he issued orders to keep union organizers out of the CCC camps and gave instructions that if any of the CCC enrolees joined a union they were to be discharged.Wirth, Conrad L. ''Parks Politics, and the People''. University of Oklahoma Press. 1980. pp. 80, 82. Upon Fechner's death while still serving as CCC Director he was succeeded by James McEntee.Staff report (January 1, 1940). Robert Fechner, Head of CCC, Dies; Director Since Its Founding Was Ex-Vice President of the International Machinists. Roosevelt Praises Work. Administrative Ability and Vision Cited, His Death Is Called Loss to Nation. ''

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''Fechner's likeness appeared on the cover of

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

on February 6, 1939. He was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

External links

Into the Woods: The First Year of the Civilian Conservation Corps

in Arlington National Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Fechner, Robert 1876 births 1939 deaths American trade union leaders Civilian Conservation Corps people People from Chattanooga, Tennessee International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers people Burials at Arlington National Cemetery