"The Best Secretary of Labor.", 1971

Inclusive date range: 1971-1974

Bulk dates: 1971-1974



This collection contains a selection of writings by A. E. Lyon, president emeritus of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and executive secretary of the Railway Labor Executives' Association [RLEA]. The topics of the manuscripts contained in this collection, and its associated collection 5450 mf, cover a broad range of topics about the American railroad labor movement and railroading itself. In this collection, the topics covered include an analysis of government relations with regard to railroad labor relations from 1920 to 1974; a history of the successful campaign to create legislation that would standardize and regulate railway signaling devices and systems; an essay about James P. Mitchell, secretary of labor under President Eisenhower; and, a memoir that A. E. Lyon refers to as "a series of memoirs and historical sketches, a combination of autobiographical material and my version of events in the history of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen" (from the Preface to vol. 1).



These manuscripts provide both historical narratives surrounding major pieces of railroad legislation, railroad labor history, and railroad history as well as offering the personal insights and opinions of A. E. Lyon, who was at the center of American railroad labor organizations for more than half a century.