ERNEST BEVIN (1881-1951) was a
British labor leader and statesman. He was active in labor organizations
beginning in 1905 and became head of the Dockers’ Union. In 1921, he merged several unions into the
Transport and General Workers’ Union, which became the world’s largest trade
union. He served as its general secretary until 1940.
Bevin was a forceful
minister of labor and national service in Winston Churchill’s wartime coalition
government (1940-45). As foreign secretary in Clement Attlee’s Labor Government
(1945-51), he negotiated the Brussels Treaty and helped establish NATO.
SAMUEL GOMPERS (1850-1924) was an
English-born American labor union leader and a key figure in American labor
history. He founded the American
Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as its president from 1886 to 1894 and
from 1895 until his death in 1924.
Gompers is considered one of the most significant labor leaders in
American history. Gompers promoted
harmony among the different craft unions within the AFL and collective
bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher wages. He also encouraged unionists
to support their friends and defeat their enemies in elections.
In the offering here,
Bevin shares his feelings about Gompers’ contributions with the American Labor
Leader’s widow: 7” x 9” TLS on Foreign Office stationary, dated 11th
June, 1947.
“Dear Mrs. Gompers,
“Thank you for your
letter of the 2nd of March.
“My first opportunity
of meeting you late husband, Sam, was in Washington in 1915. I traveled with
him to the San Francisco Convention and again back through the United States. I
look upon that visit as having an important influence on my whole outlook on
international affairs and particularly the international labor movement.
“I had the pleasure of
working with him prior to the Peace Conference in 1918 when he attended the
Conferences here in London, which contributed to the establishment of the
International Labor Office and other international organizations affecting
working people.
“I always admired his
great and difficult fight for labor in the United States. With a nation evolving
as it was with millions of immigrants pouring in in those years, one only had
to witness it to realize how difficult it all was. In such circumstances, the
great American Labor Movement was built.
“American Labor is
benefiting now as a result of the efforts of Sam Gompers.
“Yours sincerely,
“Ernest Bevin”
Folds. Letter is on
both sides of one sheet. Some traces of paper clip staining at the top of the
verso, but overall in excellent condition.
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