Edward Joseph Gainor (August 1, 1870[1] – November 10, 1947) was an American labor unionist.
Edward J. Gainor | |
|---|---|
| President of the National Association of Letter Carriers | |
| Preceded by | William E. Kelly |
| Succeeded by | William C. Doherty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Gainor August 1, 1870 Greencastle, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 1947 (aged 77) |
| Profession | Labor unionist |
Born in Greencastle, Indiana, Gainor moved to Muncie, Indiana, working as a puddler and heater in a rolling mill. He joined the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, and served as secretary of his local from 1890 to 1892.[2]
In 1897, Gainor left the mill, and became a letter carrier. He soon joined the National Association of Letter Carriers, and was elected to its executive in 1901. He became vice-president of the union in 1905, and then in 1914 was elected as president of the union.[2]
In 1916, Gainor moved to Washington, D.C. In 1924, he represented the American Federation of Labor (AFL) at the British Trade Union Congress.[3] He served as a vice-president of the AFL from 1935. Due to poor health, he retired from the Letter Carriers in 1941, and from the AFL in 1943.[2][4]
References
edit- ^ Fink, Gary (1984). Biographical Dictionary of American Labor. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313228655.
- ^ a b c The Samuel Gompers Papers. University of Illinois Press. 1986. ISBN 9780252033896.
- ^ "E. J. Gainor, 77, dies, postman's leader". New York Times. November 12, 1947.
- ^ "E. J. Gainor, ex-AFL executive, dies at 77 after long illness". Washington Post. November 11, 1947.