Lane Kirkland
| Lane Kirkland | |
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| Born | Joseph Lane Kirkland March 12, 1922 Camden, South Carolina |
| Died | August 14, 1999 (aged 77) Washington, D.C. |
| Occupation | Labor leader |
| Political party | Democratic |
Joseph Lane Kirkland (March 12, 1922 – August 14, 1999) was a US labor union leader who served as President of the AFL-CIO for over sixteen years.
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[edit] Biography
Kirkland was born in Camden, South Carolina and rose over his career to head the 16-million-member American labor movement.[1]
In 1941, Kirkland entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduated 1942, and became a deck officer on U.S. merchant ships during World War II. After the war, he worked in the Research Department of the AFL. He received a B.S. degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Kirkland married Edith Draper Hollyday in June 1944, with whom he had five daughters. A year after their divorce in 1972, he married the Czech-born Irena Neumann (1925–2007).[2]
From 1979 to 1995 Kirkland was president of the American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). During his tenure, union membership in the United States declined precipitously. The unions suffered some of their most serious defeats, including the 1981 air traffic controllers's strike and the 1985 Hormel meat packers' strike. On the international front, Kirkland's support of the Solidarity movement in Poland contributed to the decline of communism (he was awarded posthumously with the highest Polish award, the Order of the White Eagle).[3]
His best remembered quotation is:
If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves.
On November 13, 1989, Kirkland was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bush
In 1994, Kirkland was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton.
Lane Kirkland died in Washington, D.C., aged 77, from complications of cancer.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Buhle, Paul. Taking Care of Business: Samuel Gompers, George Meany, Lane Kirkland, and the Tragedy of American Labor. New York City: Monthly Review Press, 1999. ISBN 1-58367-003-3
- ^ Puddington, Arch (2005). Lane Kirkland: Champion of American labor. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-41694-0.
- ^ http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/laborhall/2002_kirkland.htm
[edit] References
- Puddington, Arch (2005). Lane Kirkland: Champion of American labor. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-41694-0.
[edit] External links
- The American Presidency Project
- Lane Kirkland (1922 - 1999) AFL-CIO history page.
[edit] External links
- American Center for International Labor Solidarity, formerly the International Affairs Department of the AFL-CIO.
- Lane Kirkland: The AFL-CIO's last cold warrior by Jim Smith
- Freedom's Labors: Lane Kirkland worked for more than his union by Fred Siegel. Wall Street Journal. OpinionJournal.com. Tuesday, March 8, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST. Accessed April 3, 2005.
| Business positions | ||
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| Preceded by George Meany |
AFL-CIO President 1979–1995 |
Succeeded by Thomas R. Donahue |
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- 1922 births
- 1999 deaths
- American labor leaders
- American sailors
- AFL–CIO people
- Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni
- People from Kershaw County, South Carolina
- United States Merchant Marine Academy alumni
- United States presidential candidates, 1984
- Cancer deaths in Washington, D.C.
- Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
- Presidential Citizens Medal recipients
