Alfred Harold Chesser (February 26, 1914 – September 25, 2016) was an American labor union leader. Born on a farm near

Sedalia, Missouri Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 ...

, Chesser grew up in Hughesville, Missouri, then back in Sedalia. He became a traveling salesman for American Disinfecting, and after a year as a clerk, moved to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

to become a grocery store manager. In 1941, he became a brakeman on the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

, and he soon moved to

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

. Chesser joined the

Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) was a labor organization for railroad employees founded in 1883. Originally called the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen, its purpose was to negotiate contracts with railroad management and to provide in ...

, and in 1945 was elected as secretary-treasurer of his local. In 1952, he was elected as secretary of the union's Texas legislative board, and then in 1956 as the board's full-time chair. He moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1962 when he became the union's national legislative director. The union merged into the new

United Transportation Union The United Transportation Union (UTU) was a broad-based, transportation labor Trade union, union that represented about 70,000 active and retired railroad, bus, mass transit, and airline workers in the United States. The UTU was headquartered in C ...

(UTU) in 1968, with Chesser retaining his role. He was elected as president of the union in 1972, also become a vice-president of the

AFL-CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...

, and chair of the Congress of Railway Unions. As leader of the UTU, Chesser championed safety legislation, and the formation of

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

. He retired in 1979, becoming president emeritus of the union, and advising on workplace safety and legislative representation. In 2001, he received the Eugene V. Debs Award. Chesser died in 2016, at the age of 102.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesser, Al H. 1914 births 2016 deaths American men centenarians American trade union leaders Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen people People from Sedalia, Missouri Trade unionists from Missouri Vice presidents of the AFL-CIO