Guide to the John A. Smith Papers, 1933-1958 AIS.2003.07
- Repository
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- John A. Smith Papers
- Creator
- Smith, John A.
- Collection Number
- AIS.2003.07
- Extent
- 0.31 Linear Feet (126 items)
- Date
- 1933-1958
- Date
- 1933-1942
- Abstract
- John Arnold Smith was a coal miner from Western Pennsylvania who was active in the United Mine Workers of America, and served as President of United Mine Workers Local 6151 in Mather (Greene County), Pa. The collection contains Smith's correspondence which reflects his life as a miner and documenting a brief career as an AFL organizer in 1935. The correspondence includes autographed letters from John L. Lewis, Kathryn Lewis, and Philip Murray.
- Language
- English .
- Publisher
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Address
- University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Biography
John Arnold Smith was born September 14, 1880. According to a self-composed work history in the collection, he went to work in 1890 with his father in the W.P Rends Mine No. 2 in Reissing, Pa. Smith was a charter member of the local miner's union and walked the picket line for six weeks in McGovern, Pa., during the 1897 Strike. From then until about 1907-1908 he worked in a succession of mines in Western Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arkansas, Colorado and Oklahoma. While in Illinois, Smith was chosen as a delegate to a United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Convention. During this event, he claims to have had the privilege of escorting Mother Jones on visits to Illinois UMWA locals while she was engaged in raising funds for the defense of IWW organizers Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone. In 1919, Smith was badly injured in the Moon Run mine in Pennsylvania, the first of several accidents that impacted his health. In the 1930's-40's, Smith continued to be active as an organizer and local officer as well as a miner. In January 1958, Smith was living in Orlando, Florida. The collection does not provide information on him beyond this date.
Scope and Content Notes
The Papers cover aspects of Smith's life as a miner, union officer and organizer, from 1933 - 1958. An incomplete, two-page work history contains some information about his life prior to these years. In 1933, Smith was working in the Pickands, Mather Co. mine in Mather (Greene County), Pa. An accident on August 1, 1934 obliged Smith to relinquish mining for a time. Smith became an officer of the AFL in December 1934, being noted as Business Agent for the Central Labor Union in Fredericktown, Pa. Correspondence between December 1934 - June 1935 deal with his activities as an AFL organizer and especially with his efforts to organize a program for the June 15, 1935 Miner's Day Celebration in Waynesburg, Pa.
Correspondence from 1935 to 1936 shows Smith again employed in the Mather Collieries and a member of the Legislative Committee of UMWA Local Union No. 6151. Smith had another injury on June 29, 1935. During this time, Smith applied unsuccessfully for an organizer's position with the UMWA later that year, and in 1937, lobbied for an appointment as a member of the Miner's Examining Board. There are autographed letters from John L. Lewis, Kathryn Lewis, Philip Murray, and others about these matters, but no evidence of Smith's success with the petitions.
John A. Smith was a delegate to the Washington County, Pa., Convention of Labor's Non-Partisan League, in December 1940. The correspondence from 1942 centers on Smith's efforts to grieve a case where miners were held two hours beyond quitting time and not paid following a breakdown in operations. Letters from Smith to UMWA District 4 President, William Hynes (Uniontown, Pa.) and to John L. Lewis and letters from them, including Lewis' autograph are within this file. In 1942, Smith held the position of President of UMWA Local 6151 in Mather. A federal government form shows Smith paying rent to the Mather Collieries for his company-owned "bungalow." Smith's tenure as Local 6151 President continued through 1944. At that time poor health forced him to discontinue work at the Mather mine.
In the mid-1940's, Smith was seeking work in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Remaining correspondence deals with Smith's frustrated efforts to secure a UMWA Pension notwithstanding the fact that he had retired prior to the legislated cutoff eligibility date of May 29, 1946.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
These materials were acquired in May 2003.
Preferred Citation
John A. Smith Papers, 1933-1958, AIS.2003.07, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
John A. Smith Papers, 1933-1958, AIS.2003.07, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Papers of John A. Smith, 1933-1958, UE/Labor 2003:07, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was processed by David Rosenberg in September 2003.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Jamie Shriver on September 16, 2003. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 4195883
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects
- United Mine Workers of America. Local 6151 (Mather, Pa.)
- United Mine Workers of America
- Central Labor Union (Frederickstown, Pa.)
- Lewis, John Llewellyn
- Lewis, Kathryn
- Murray, Philip
- Smith, John A.
- Fagan, Patrick
- Hynes, William
- Waynesburg (Pa.)
- Frederickstown (Pa.)
- Mather (Pa.)
- Working class - Pennsylvania
- Labor unions -- Pennsylvania
- Labor movement -- Pennsylvania
- Coal miners -- Pennsylvania -- Correspondence
- Coal miners -- Pennsylvania -- History
- Personal papers
- Labor
- Coal miners -- Pennsylvania