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International Workers Order (IWO) Records

 Collection
Identifier: 5276

Abstract

This collection consists of the records of the International Workers' Order (IWO). Papers include many items related to Socialist, Communist and radical activities.

Dates

  • 1915-2002

Language of Materials

Collection material in English, Spanish, Yiddish, Russian, Polish, Croatian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Italian

Conditions Governing Access

Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.

Biographical / Historical

The International Workers Order (IWO) was an insurance, mutual benefit and fraternal organization founded in 1930 and disbanded in 1954 as the result of legal action undertaken by the state of New York in 1951 on the grounds that the organization was too closely linked to the Communist Party. At its height in the years immediately following World War II, the IWO reached nearly 200,000 members and provided low-cost health and life insurance, medical and dental clinics, and supported foreign-language newspapers, cultural and educational activities. The organization also operated a summer camp and cemeteries for its members.

Extent

42.44 cubic feet

Quantity:

42.4 linear ft.

Forms of Material:

Records (documents) .

General

Contact Information:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives Martin P. Catherwood Library 227 Ives Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3183 kheel_center@cornell.edu http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/kheel-center
Compiled by:
Kheel Staff, August 30, 1986
EAD encoding:
Elizabeth Parker, March 10, 2022

Processing Information

The Liquidation Bureau of the State of New York Insurance Department transferred International Workers' Order (IWO) records to Cornell University in 1961. Records documenting the Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order of the IWO were donated by the Saltzman Schwartz family to the Cornell University Library in 1984.

Title
International Workers Order (IWO) Records
Status
Completed
Author
Compiled by Kheel Staff
Date
March 10, 2022
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Revision Statements

  • 02/23/2024: This resource was modified by the ArchivesSpace Preprocessor developed by the Harvard Library (https://github.com/harvard-library/archivesspace-preprocessor)

Repository Details

Part of the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives Repository

Contact:
227 Ives Hall
Ithaca NY 14853