Arthur Augustine Quinn (May 13, 1866 – February 2, 1957) was an American

labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

pioneer, leader, politician, and banker. He served as General Organizer for the

United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, often simply the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), was formed in 1881 by Peter J. McGuire and Gustav Luebkert. It has become one of the largest trade unions in the United State ...

and Canada from 1902-1906 and second vice president from 1906-1908. He served as the New Jersey State President of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

from 1913 to 1933 and Comptroller of the Customs of the Port of New York and New Jersey from 1933-1951. A member of the Democratic Party, Quinn served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 1913 to 1915 and in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

from 1929 to 1933.

Early life

Arthur Augustine Quinn was born on May 13, 1866, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, to Jane (Mcdonnell) and Terrence T. Quinn. One of nine children, the family moved to

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

, in 1874. Terrence's family originated from County Tyrone in Ireland. They immigrated through the port of Philadelphia in 1854. Jane (Jeanette) McDonnell originated from Kilglass in County Sligo in Ireland. She immigrated with her father Alexander first through Montreal and later Philadelphia. Terrence served along with his brother in the 24th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers during the civil war. Terrence is listed in a February 5, 1887 article as a regional leader and a coal trimmer where he explains the injurious conditions caused by working with the coal for both him as his coworkers. At the time, he notes that half his pay went to health treatments and the remainder to his family. Terrence is listed in the article as one of the original remaining Lehigh valley coal trimmers to settle in Perth Ambo
February 5, 1887, New York Times article
He would die September 29, 1903 from asthma (emphysema), which was a directly caused by the conditions noted in the article.

Career

Quinn began his career as a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

before taking up leadership roles in organized labor in New Jersey. As was with Peter J. McgGuire, he had only a 3rd grade education before beginning his trade with the majority of his education coming through experience and very heavy reading. In 1896, Quinn helped found the Local 65 chapter of the

(UBC), the second union organized in Perth Amboy. He began as a General Organizer for the national union in 1902-1906 and in this role he was #3 position in the organization with his primary responsibility forming unions anywhere the UBC operated. He was elevated to second general vice president of the UBC in 1906 and the first general vice president in 1908. He resigned his leadership role at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1915 and was appointed General National Representative. In 1904 Quinn worked with the State Building Trade Council in having law enacted to create the State Department of Labor. The Northeast Carpenters council notes on their website that he was instrumental in merging the Amalgamated Carpenters in North Jersey to the UBC. In 1911, as a private citizen he successfully lobbied for the creation of New Jersey's original workman's compensation act. "Up until then," Quinn declared, "the only recourse the workingman or his family had was to sue his employer, which, for persons in those circumstances, was almost a hopeless task." Beginning in 1913, he served for 20 years as the president of the New Jersey Federation of Labor (a state branch of the

). During his two decades at the helm, Quinn supported the creation of a fund for “old age relief,” the dissolution of sweat shops, investigating the wages paid to women and children, the creation of

unemployment insurance Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...

, and creating a five day work week with a six-hour work day. He is considered by many to be the father of the 8 hour day for New Jersey's state, county, and municipal workers. He was an outspoken critic of socialism. Quinn passed the bill in 1913 to establish the town of Middlesex in Middlesex County. In addition to his work as a state labor leader, Quinn entered politics in 1913 when he was elected to the

to represent Middlesex County. In 1915, he ran for State Senator but was defeated by W. Edwin Florance by approximately 1000 votes. There had been strong opposition from the Mercer County trade unionists to him in the lead up to the vote. In 1918, Quinn unsuccessfully ran for State Senate against Thomas Brown and was noted as an anti establishment candidate. During World War I, he was selected by Woodrow Wilson to chair the Selective Service committee. Quinn also "supervised the construction of a town for the housing of ship workers and ..the (assembling) of ready-cut houses to be shipped to war-torn France". After state senator

Morgan Foster Larson Morgan Foster Larson (June 15, 1882March 21, 1961) was an American Republican politician who served as the 40th governor of New Jersey. Early life Morgan Foster Larson was born on June 15, 1882, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to Peter and Regina ...

resigned his position in 1929 to become

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

, Quinn became the Democratic nominee to replace him in a special election. He defeated Republican nominee Russell Watson in the November election by more than 3,000 votes, thanks in part to the support from Jersey City mayor

Frank Hague Francis Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956), known as Frank Hague, was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1917 to 1947, and vice-chairman of the Democratic National Comm ...

. Quinn ran for a full three-year term during the following election cycle, which he won more by more than 11,000 votes over Assemblyman Irving Demarest. He became the minority whip of the

in 1933. As a state senator, Quinn served on the Committee on Banks and Insurance, and was active in the Advisory Committee on Employment Problems. He introduced the state's first unemployment compensation bill in 1933, though it was defeated. He was nominated for Governor by the State Federation of Labor in 1933. Prior to the 1934 New Jersey gubernatorial election, he was unanimously endorsed by the New Jersey Federation of Labor to be the Democratic nominee for governor. In 1933, Quinn resigned his seat in the senate and retired from his post as state AFL president to become the Comptroller of the Port of New York after being nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. He was confirmed for the position on June 3, 1933 and sworn into office on June 23, 1933. Quinn would remain in this role for 18 years until he retired from public service in 1951. It is of interest that President

Harry S Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th Vice president of the United States, vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Frank ...

signed Executive Order 10215 on February 16, 1951 exempting Arthur A from mandatory retirement until June 30, 1951. In 1937, he was Chairman of the New Jersey State Housing Authority.

Union National Bank

Quinn was a founding member and served as President of the Labor National Bank of Newark, a labor bank which opened in February 1925. Renamed as Union National Bank in 1929, it has the distinction of being the only labor bank to survive the Great Depression in the Northeast US. The surviving banks were surveyed after the Great Depression and Quinn credited its survival to Federal Savings Bonds. He stepped down as president in 1946 when it consolidated with Broad National Bank in Newark, but remained serving at the bank on the board of directors until 1954.

Personal life

Quinn married Jeanette Cecelia Larkin on November 29, 1890 at St Mary's Church in Perth Amboy, NJ. They had four children: Arthur A., Jr., Agnes Elizabeth, Jane (1897-1901), and Terrence Joseph "Teddy." The family lived in the Sewaren section of

Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in northern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City, within the New ...

. Quinn was presented a key to the city by

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

mayor Anthony M. Ruffu Jr. Quinn died on February 2, 1957 in

Roosevelt Hospital Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System. The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The fa ...

in Edison, New Jersey. David T. Wilentz was a pallbearer at his funeral. Cause of death was listed as cancer. He is buried at St Mary's Cemetery in Perth Amboy, NJ. He is a grandfather of 2017 New Jersey State Assembly candidate Robert A. Quinn. Arthur A's brother John J Quinn was a banker and Executive Vice President of Raritan Trust Company of Perth Amboy. John J was appointed to the position of Postmaster of Perth Amboy by

in 1933. His personal papers are held at The Monsignor Noe Field Archives and Special Collections Center at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

South Orange, New Jersey South Orange is a historic suburban Village (New Jersey), village located in Essex County, New Jersey. It was formally known as the Township of South Orange Village from October 1978 until April 25, 2024. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

United We Build commemoration book

In September 1985, a commemoration book, authored by Sharon L. Rogan and entitled United We Build:The Legacy of 100 years, was printed reviewing the history of labor in New Jersey from 1881-1981. The following labor unions are credited with being organized by Peter J. Mcguire and Arthur A. Quinn before 1900 in NJ and active at the time of publication: *Local 119 Newark (1885) *Local 155 Plainfield (1886) *Local 167 Elizabeth (1886) *Local 399 Philipsburg (1888) *Local 265 Hackensack (1891) *Local 750 Asbury Park (1891) *Local 306 Newark (1895) *Local 349 Newark (1895) *Local 429 Newark/Montclair (1895) *Local 467 Hoboken (1895) *Local 612 Union Hill (1895) *Local 57 Irvington (1896) *Local 65 Perth Amboy (1896) *Local 299 Union City (1899) *Local 118 Jersey City (1899) *Local 330 New Orange/Roselle Park (1899) *Local 383 Bayonne (1899)

References

External links

Arthur A. Quinn Papers (1901-1960)
at The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center
Arthur A. Quinn: A Hidden Figure in New Jersey's Labor Movement
at ArcGIS StoryMaps
February 5, 1887 New York Times article on coal strikers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Arthur A. 1866 births 1957 deaths Activists from Philadelphia People from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Politicians from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Party New Jersey state senators American trade union leaders American trade unionists of Irish descent 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature