Peter Theodore Schoemann (October 26, 1893 – August 7, 1976) was an American labor union leader. Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, Schoemann completed an apprenticeship as a plumber, and joined the

United Association The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association (UA), is a labor union which represents workers in the plumbing and pipefitt ...

(UA) union in 1914. He was recording secretary and then business representative of his local, then in 1928 became chair of the union's credentials committee, serving until 1932. That year, he became president of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council, and was also appointed to the city's school board, serving in both posts for around 20 years. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served on the regional

War Manpower Commission The War Manpower Commission was a World War II agency of the United States Government charged with planning to balance the labor needs of agriculture, industry and the armed forces. History The Commission was created by President Franklin D. ...

. Schoemann served as a vice-president of the UA for several years. In 1953, the union's president,

Martin Patrick Durkin Martin Patrick Durkin (March 18, 1894 – November 13, 1955) was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of Labor from January 21, 1953, to September 10, 1953, where he was the "plumber" of President Dwight Eisenhower's "Nine Millionai ...

, was appointed as

United States Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

, and Schoemann succeeded as president; however, Durkin returned to the post later in the year. Durkin died in 1955, and Schoemann was then re-elected to the post. As leader of the union, he signed an agreement to construct low-cost prefabricated housing. In 1957, Schoemann was additionally elected as a vice-president of the AFL-CIO, and he chaired the federation's education committee. He retired from his union posts in 1971, and died five years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schoemann, Peter 1893 births 1976 deaths American trade union leaders People from Milwaukee Trade unionists from Wisconsin Vice presidents of the AFL–CIO