John Nelson (1917-1959)
Lawrence Park Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Chief Steward & President, United Electrical Workers Union Local 506, 1942-1959. Accused of McCarthy-era Communist activity, he was the first union leader fired by General Electric, 1953. He defended workers' civil liberties while UE represented him in court. He died prematurely at 42.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the anthracite-and-industry country of northwestern Pennsylvania, Erie's sprawling General Electric works were a union stronghold, and John Nelson rose to lead the United Electrical Workers' Local 506 through the volatile 1940s and 1950s. At the height of the postwar Red Scare, he was accused of Communist ties and became the first union leader GE dismissed, in 1953, even as his union fought for him in the courts. He died young at 42, his short life bound up in one of labor's hardest decades.
Why it matters
His story captures how the McCarthy era's loyalty pressures collided with organized labor, testing the civil liberties of working Americans on the shop floor.
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Related people
- · John Nelson
Related events
- · McCarthy era
Themes & tags
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