Maurice Albert Hutcheson (May 7, 1897 – January 9, 1983) was a carpenter and an

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labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

leader. He was president of 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 ...

from 1952 to 1972. He was nicknamed "Maurice the Silent" for his taciturn nature and ability to sit silently through long meetings or heated debates.

Early life

He was born in

Saginaw County, Michigan Saginaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully organized on February 9, 1835. The ...

, to

William Hutcheson William Hutcheson (February 6, 1874 – October 20, 1953) was the leader of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1915 until 1952. A conservative craft unionist, he opposed the organization of workers in mass production ...

and his wife Bessie Mae (King). He was educated in public schools. The Hutcheson family moved to

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

in 1913 when William Hutcheson (his father) was elected president of the Carpenters' union. The younger Hutcheson apprenticed as a carpenter in 1914 and served in the

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. After the war, he returned to carpentry. He was appointed a financial auditor for the international union in 1928, and was elected an international vice president in 1938. After his father's death, Maurice was elected president.

Tenure as president

Hutcheson immediately withdrew the Carpenters from 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 ...

(AFL) when, shortly after his election, the AFL signed a no-raid agreement with the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of Labor unions in the United States, unions that organized workers in industrial unionism, industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in ...

(CIO). However, he re-affiliated the union just three weeks later. He was elected a vice president of the AFL in 1953 and served on the federation's executive council. After the merger of the AFL and CIO in 1955, he was elected a vice president of the merged organization as well. In 1954, he signed a jurisdictional agreement with the

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is an AFL–CIO/ CLC trade union representing over 600,000 workers as of 2024 in more than 200 industries with most of its membership in the United States and Canada. Orig ...

, ending a 40-year dispute. In 1957, he was cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to appear before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the

U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland sec ...

led by Senator

John L. McClellan John Little McClellan (February 25, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American lawyer and segregationist politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1935–1939) and a U.S. Senator (1943–1977) from ...

and answer questions about labor racketeering. Hutcheson was convicted of contempt of Congress in May 1960 and sentenced to six months in prison. The conviction was upheld by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

. A federal district court judge converted the sentence to two years of probation in 1964. Hutcheson was later pardoned by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

. Although he was critical of

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a trade union, labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a di ...

president

Jimmy Hoffa James Riddle Hoffa (; born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975, declared dead July 30, 1982) was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 to 1971. He i ...

for permitting his union to be dominated by

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

, Hutcheson voted against the resolution ejecting the union sponsored by AFL-CIO president

George Meany William George Meany (August 16, 1894 – January 10, 1980) was an American labor union administrator for 57 years. He was a vital figure in the creation of the AFL–CIO and served as its first president, from 1955 to 1979. Meany, the son of a ...

in 1957. The resolution passed over his objection. In 1958, Hutcheson and two Carpenters union officials were accused of bribing an

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

state official to obtain advance notice of the nature and location of future highway projects. Law enforcement officials said Hutcheson and the others had made an $81,000 profit by buying the land on which a highway was to be built and then selling it to the state. All three men turned their profits over to the state and were convicted in 1960. The Indiana Supreme Court unanimously threw out the convictions in 1963, holding that there were no grounds for a conspiracy conviction. The conviction nearly led to Hutcheson's removal from the AFL-CIO's Executive Council, but Meany—whom Hutcheson had strongly supported through the years—blocked the removal when Hutcheson threatened to pull his union from the federation.

End of his life

After his retirement, he lived in

Milan, Indiana Milan ( ) is a town in Franklin Township, Ripley County, Indiana, Franklin and Washington Township, Ripley County, Indiana, Washington townships, Ripley County, Indiana, Ripley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,899 at the ...

. Shortly before his death, he moved to Florida. Maurice Hutcheson died in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

. Hutcheson's wife, the former Ethel Hyatt, died in 1977. The couple had no children.

References

*Christie, Robert. ''Empire in Wood: A History of the Carpenters' Union.'' Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1956. *Fink, Gary, ed. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Labor.'' Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984. *Galenson, Walter. ''The United Brotherhood of Carpenters: The First Hundred Years.'' Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1983. . *Saxon, Wolfgang. "Maurice Hutcheson, 85, Led Carpenters' Union 2 Decades." ''New York Times.'' January 10, 1983. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutcheson, Maurice 1897 births 1983 deaths American trade union leaders United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America people Activists from Indianapolis People pardoned by Lyndon B. Johnson People from Saginaw County, Michigan Trade unionists from Indiana Trade unionists from Michigan Vice presidents of the American Federation of Labor Vice presidents of the AFL-CIO

Early life

Tenure as president

End of his life

See also

References