Joseph Siegel Collection on the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
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Abstract
Joseph Isaac Siegel (d. 1972) was a railroad switchman from the 1950s through the early 1970s and an active member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT), and served as his local union's Legislative Representative for a period of time. The Joseph Siegel Collection on the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (dated 1945-1970) consists of materials created and collected by Siegel documenting his career as a railroad switchman and his engagement with the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT). Materials in this collection include union membership and certification cards, Siegel's 1966 timebook with notations on strikes, a photograph of Siegel and others at a BRT picnic, a BRT button, and a newspaper clipping of Siegel and others known as the "100% Crew" that may have been published in the union publication Trainman News. The collection also includes a typewritten eulogy delivered at Siegel's funeral, and a letter to Siegel from Lewis Strauss, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, responding to Siegel's inquiry about nuclear weapons testing.
Biographical Note
Joseph Isaac Siegel (d. 1972) was a railroad switchman from the 1950s through the early 1970s and an active member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT), and served as his local union's Legislative Representative for a period of time. He attended Boston Latin School and Harvard University, and in 1937 he joined the International Brigades to support the Spanish Republic against fascism in the Spanish Civil War. He died in 1972.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Scope and Contents
The Joseph Siegel Collection on the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (dated 1945-1970) consists of materials created and collected by Siegel documenting his career as a railroad switchman and his engagement with the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT). Materials in this collection include union membership and certification cards, Siegel's 1966 timebook with notations on strikes, a photograph of Siegel and others at a BRT picnic, a BRT button, and a newspaper clipping of Siegel and others known as the "100% Crew" that may have been published in the union publication Trainman News. The collection also includes a typewritten eulogy delivered at Siegel's funeral, and a letter to Siegel from Lewis Strauss, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, responding to Siegel's inquiry about nuclear weapons testing.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Joseph Siegel Collection on the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen; TAM 795; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Annette Halpern in December 2020; the accession number associated with this gift is 2020.046.
Appraisal
One issue of Trainman News was excluded from this acquisition, as the Tamiment Library already has a copy in its collection.
