James P. Mitchell
James P. Mitchell | |
---|---|
8th United States Secretary of Labor | |
In office October 9, 1953 – January 20, 1961 | |
President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Preceded by | Martin Durkin |
Succeeded by | Arthur Goldberg |
Personal details | |
Born | James Paul Mitchell November 12, 1900 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | October 19, 1964 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 63)
Resting place | Colonia, New Jersey, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Isabelle Nulton |
Children | 1 |
James Paul Mitchell (November 12, 1900 – October 19, 1964) was an American politician and businessman from
Early life and education
Mitchell was born on November 12, 1900, and was raised in
Career
He began his political career in 1932 as the Union County supervisor for the New Jersey Relief Administration. Six years later, he was appointed to the New York City division of the Works Progress Administration.
When
Eisenhower administration
In 1953 Mitchell was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Army in charge of manpower and reserve forces affairs. Several months later, he was nominated by President Eisenhower to replace Secretary Martin P. Durkin, who had resigned in protest in September 1953.[1]
On October 9, 1953, Mitchell became the eighth
Secretary of Labor
Mitchell encouraged management cooperation, supported labor's right to organize, and sought to improve conditions for marginal workers. He established the administrative machinery of the
The Welfare and Pensions Plans Disclosures Act was established on August 28, 1958, followed by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act on September 14, 1959. Mitchell supported minimum wages for the soft-coal industry and other industries according to the Walsh-Healy Act.[4]
In April 1959, at a labor rally, Mitchell said that if, by that October, unemployment was not below 3 million, he would "Eat the hat you said I was talking through". On November 11, it was revealed unemployment in October was 3,272,000. In a ceremony, he ate a hat shaped cake. He blamed his error on a steel strike.
1961 New Jersey gubernatorial election
After a bitter primary, Mitchell was elected Republican candidate for
Later career
Mitchell retired from politics and turned to the private sector. In 1961, he joined the Crown Zellerbach Corporation (at that time an American pulp and paper conglomerate based in San Francisco) as a director and adviser. A year later, he also briefly served as vice president for industrial and public relations, then as senior vice president for corporate relations until his death in 1964.
Personal life
His uncle was the character actor
References
- ^ Guzda, Henry P. (August 1991). "James P. Mitchell: social conscience of the Cabinet" (PDF). Monthly Labor Review. 114 (8). Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor: 23. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ISBN 9781617037894.
In the fall of 1957, Secretary Mitchell, according to reliable sources, indicated to aides his displeasure with Wilkins as head of the eighty-person staff that handled relations with labor leaders in seventy-nine countries, and revealed that he had been responsible for Wilkins's appointment to the newly minted U.S. Commission on Civil Rights as a means of easing him out...someone at the White House decided to make his resignation certain by planting with nationally syndicated columnist Drew Pearson a version of events patently intended to humiliate Wilkins...Wilkins was the third high-ranking Negro "dropped" by the [Eisenhower] Administration.
- ^ Reports and Documents (1961) United States: Freedom of Communications: Final Report Part IV. USA: US Government Printing Office. 1961.
Edward P Morgan and the News ABC, October 18, 1960...'Wilkins resigned as Assistant Secretary on November 8, 1959. [Henry Cabot] Lodge's son George was appointed to the job on the same day. There were reports at the time that Labor Secretary Mitchell had asked Wilkins to quit. Wilkins claimed he was quitting for personal reasons. He died 2 months later.'
- ^ "U.S. Department of Labor – Labor Hall of Fame – James P. Mitchell". Dol.gov. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ "Mitchell Eats 'Ha't- With Icing". New York Times Archive.