About this Collection
Water M. Phillips interviewed over 150 civic and political leaders on subjects related to Philadelphia city government and history between the late 1930s and the 1970s. Related collection: Walter M. Phillips, Sr. Papers (Acc. 527)
About this Interview
James Mahoney, formerly an officer and political director of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, begins by discussing the history of the labor movement and early unions like the Knights of Labor union in Philadelphia. With the rise of the labor movement, there was a distinct shift in power in the city. Around 1948 the Democratic party rose to power after Dick Dilworth and Joe Clark were elected. Dilworth appointed Mahoney to the Commission on Human Relations around 1956. Originally, Mahoney decided during college that he wanted to be a union organizer. The International Ladies' Garment Workers was hiring organizers around the same time Mahoney graduated and training them to be union officials, so he went to them for training and they eventually sent him to Philadelphia. His working goal was to maintain and continue the employment of the people he represented. In more recent years, his union was injured by the move towards the suburbs.
Biographical / Historical Note
Walter M. Phillips, Sr. (1912-1985) was active in Philadelphia civic and political life for over thirty years. He worked and volunteered in a variety of city and regional organizations. After retiring, Phillips initiated an oral history project, interviewing in the 1970s many individuals with whom he had worked.
Record Details
- Title:
- James Mahoney Oral History, January 25, 1979
- Subject:
- Civic improvement, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Narrator:
- Mahoney, James
- Date:
- 1979-01-25
- Language:
- English
- Personal Names:
- Dilworth, Richardson, 1898-1974, Clark, Joseph S.
- Geographic Subject:
- Philadelphia (Pa.)
- Organization / Building:
- Commission on Human Relations (Philadelphia, Pa.), International Ladies Garment Workers Union
- Repository Collection:
- Walter Massey Phillips Oral Histories
- Type:
- Oral Histories
- Contact:
- Contact SCRC for the audio recording corresponding to this transcript.
- Transcript Identifier:
- AOHWMPJZ2015010025
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This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only. For access to the original or a high resolution reproduction, and for permission to publish, please contact Temple University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center, scrc@temple.edu, 215-204-8257.
Transcript Note
This is a transcript of a tape-recorded interview. The interviewee/narrator read the transcript and made minor corrections, but the reader should bear in mind that it represents a transcription of the spoken word.
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