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Title: William Cahn Collection Genre: Papers Dates: 1922-1976 (Predominantly, 1940s-1970s) Size : 2 linear feet, 2 storage boxes ID #: 808 OCLC:
©Walter
P. Reuther Library of Labor & Urban Affairs HEFA.01b.update |
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William Cahn was born in New
York City, May 29, 1912, and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he began
his writing career and learned the graphic arts trade as editor of the
undergraduate newspaper. His association
with the labor movement began in the 1930s when, as a reporter for the Bridgeport
Times Star, he became the first
Connecticut member of the Newspaper Guild. He was elected a founding officer of the Connecticut State
Industrial Union Council at that time.
As a newspaperman he covered the rise of industrial unionism during the
Depression and interviewed leading labor and political figures.
Following World War II Cahn
served for a decade as publicity director of the United Electrical, Radio &
Machine Workers. In the 1960s,
while working as a communications consultant for the Solow/Wexton advertising
agency, he designed and wrote most of the award-winning messages on labor
history sponsored by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’
Union in newspapers throughout the country. Illustrated with historical photographs, they appealed to
America’s social conscience by placing contemporary social problems in
historical perspective. As a
freelance writer and historian, Cahn authored numerous articles and several books,
including Milltown, A Pictorial
History of American Labor, corporate
histories and biographies. He died
on October 13, 1976.
The William Cahn Collection contains a number of unpublished manuscripts on labor and other topics, material dealing with the ILGWU advertising campaign, reference files of printed material on unions and labor-related subjects, a few articles published by Mr. Cahn and a small amount of correspondence.
Harry Bridges
International Ladies’
Garment Workers’ Union
Race discrimination in
employment
Strikes and
lockouts--Teachers--Connecticut--New Haven
Trade-unions and
Afro-Americans
Trade-unions and mass media
Trade-unions--hospitals
United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America
A large number of photographs
and illustrations used in Cahn’s books, slides of the Bicentennial
memorial service in New Haven, Connecticut, marking the 80th anniversary of the
death of Alfred W. Phelps, called the “father of the eight-hour
day,” and an audiotape from the 1975 New Haven teachers’ strike
have been transferred to the Audiovisual Deparment.
Contents |
[Box1] [Box2] |
1. Anti-Semitism;
print material, 1940s-1950s
2. Bicentennial
Labor Committee of Greater New Haven, 1975-76
3. Biographical
information, publicity, c. 1960s-1970s
4-5. Blacks and labor; print material,
1940s-1970s
6. Church and labor;
print material, 1930s-1950s
7-8. CIO publications, 1930s-1950s
9. (Anti-)CIO
publications, 1930s-1940s
10. Correspondence, misc.,
1958-76
11. “How the Cohen
Boys Helped Extend the Rights of Man”; Cahn article for New Haven Jewish
Community Center Year Book, 1971
12. ILGWU (International
Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union) “If You Don’t Come in Sunday Don’t Come in Monday” ad (Cahn); corres.,
publicity, awards, 1964-69
13. ILGWU “Signature
of 450,000” brochure (Cahn), 1965
14-15.ILGWU social
message ads (Cahn); corres., copy, publicity, 1960s
16. IWW (Industrial Workers
of the World); print material, 1940s-1960s
17. Labor in art; print
material, n.d., 1922
18. Labor song books,
1940s-1970s
19. Local 1199 Drug and
Hospital Union (RWDSU), articles about, 1959, 1969-71
20. (Local) 1199 News labor history issue (Cahn), Sep 1971
21. (Local) 1199 News 25th anniversary issue (Cahn), Jun 1957
22. (Local) 1199 News “Working in hospitals: then and now”
issue (Cahn), Sep 1976
23. “Man Whose Vote
Gave Women the Vote, The”; Cahn article in Look magazine, 1970
24-25. Manuscript,
unpublished, corres., print material; “Bridges, Harry,” 1950s-1960s
26. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Champion of the Working Woman: The Life of Augusta Lewis Troup,” n.d.
27. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Does Violence Pay Off?,” 1970
28. Manuscripts,
unpublished, corres.; Greeley, Horace, 1961
29. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Holson Company, The,” n.d.
30. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Marcantonio, Vito,” n.d.
31. Manuscript,
unpublished, corres.; “Mooney, Tom,” 1967-68
32. Manuscript,
unpublished, corres., print material; Moore, William H., family biography, 1964-66
33. Manuscript, unpublished
(rough dummy); “Newcomers to Our Land” (with Rhoda Cahn), n.d.
34. Manuscript, unpublished
(working outline); “No Child Shall Go Hungry” (with Rhoda Cahn),
n.d.
1. Manuscript,
unpublished (rough dummy); “No One Shall Go Hungry,” n.d.
2. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Political Humor: Combat or Cop-Out,” n.d.
3. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Sacco, Nicolo, Bartolomeo Vanzetti,” 1967
4. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Uniformed Fire Officers’ Association,” n.d.
5. Manuscript,
unpublished; Whitman, Walt, n.d.
6. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Whose Heroes?” (compilation of columns, commentaries,
advertising), n.d.
7. Manuscript,
unpublished; “Will Watergate Revive the Comic Tradition of Will Rogers and Mr. Dooley?,” n.d.
8. Manuscript,
unpublished (book outline); “Women Fight for Their Rights” (with
Rhoda Cahn), 1971
9. Manuscript,
unpublished; “You Can’t Think That!” (compilation of columns,
commentaries, advertising), n.d.
10. Mill Town; corres., reviews, 1954
11-12.New Haven,
Conn., teachers’ strike; corres., flyers, clippings, 1975
13. New York City transit
strike; clippings, 1966
14. Railroads and railroad
workers; print material, 1950s-1970s
15. Right-tow-work laws;
print material, 1950s-1970s
16. Robeson, Paul; print
material, 1940s-1970s
17. Roosevelt, Eleanor,
Memorial Foundation, 1963-64
18. Speeches written by
Cahn, 1960s-1970s
19. Steel industry and
Steelworkers union; print material, 1950s-1960s
20. Taft-Hartley Act; print
material, 1940s-1960s
21. UE (United Electrical,
Radio & Machine Workers); class outlines, n.d.
22. UE publications; civil
rights, 1950s
23. UE publications; FDR,
1940s-1950s
24. UE publications;
McCarthyism, 1950s
25-26. UE
publications; misc., 1940s-1970s
27. UE publications; UE
Steward, 1952-54
28. UE radio program;
publicity, 1947-48
29. UE wage and contract
campaign posters, 1948
30. Wright, Fred (UE
cartoonist); “So Long Partner!,” 1975
31. Wright, Fred, and
William Cahn; collaborative publications, 1940s
32. Yale University strike;
clippings, 1971