Family donates Allan S. Haywood tribute, historical documents to St. Louis Labor Council

A local Labor leader, Haywood rose to leadership of the CIO

Bill Deiter recently donated some cherished memorabilia and historical documents to the St. Louis Labor Council – a framed tribute and other printed materials highlighting the life of union leader Allan S. Haywood, who rose to be the executive vice president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). Brother Haywood was the uncle of Bill Deiter’s wife, the late Rosemary Deiter (nee Haywood).

Born in Yorkshire, England in 1888, Brother Haywood was 13 when he began working in the mines in England as a member of the British Miners Federation. After coming to the United States, he joined the United Mine Workers Union and went to work in the coal pits of Illinois. He first became a union officer for the United Mine Workers and eventually became vice president of the Illinois Federation of Labor.

When the CIO was established, he became a key figure in organizing campaigns that brought millions of workers into the fold. He served as a vice president at the CIO from 1942-1951 and was executive vice president from 1951 until his passing in 1953.