Min L. Matheson (1909-1992)
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Prominent labor, community, and civic leader. She headed the Wyoming Valley District of the ILGWU, 1944-1963. With her husband Bill, she confronted corrupting influences & other obstacles in building a membership of 11,000. Created under their leadership were a model workers' education program, health care center, and traveling chorus. Later, she led efforts on behalf of flood victims after Tropical Storm Agnes in 1992.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Min L. Matheson led the Wyoming Valley District of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union from 1944 to 1963, building a membership of 11,000 in the region's garment shops alongside her husband Bill. Facing down corruption and intimidation, the Mathesons created a model workers' education program, a health center, and even a traveling chorus—and in 1972 she rallied relief efforts for victims of Tropical Storm Agnes.
Why it matters
Matheson's leadership shows how women drove mid-century labor organizing and made unions engines of education, health care, and community life, not just wages.
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Related people
- · Min L. Matheson
- · Bill Matheson
Themes & tags
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