Eugene J. St. Pierre Papers

Collection

Identifier: 1986-0007

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The papers of Eugene St. Pierre provide the researcher with a close up and intimate view of labor activities on the local level. In addition, they provide a detailed record of the state of the Connecticut economy and its effect on blue-collar workers from 1955 to 1974. Documents in the collection include correspondence, reports, surveys, newsletters, financial and administrative records, minutes, and ephemera.

Dates

1933-1986

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from the owner(s) of the copyright.

Biography

Eugene St. Pierre was a prominent labor leader in the Hartford area from 1955 to 1974. He was born on May 6, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, but lived most of his life in Hartford, Connecticut. While in Hartford he was an amateur wrestler with the Y.M.C.A. He served in the Connecticut National Guard from 1933 to 1936.

He was inducted into the U.S. Army on April 28, 1942, and served as a Private First Class in the 902nd Engineer Air Force Headquarters Company during and after World War II until he was honorably discharged on November 12, 1945. His discharge papers indicate that he was involved in as a clerk typist and participated as such in campaigns in Normandy and Northern France and Rhineland, Germany.

After the war St. Pierre worked for the Arrow-Hart & Hageman Corporation of Hartford for twenty-seven years, rose through the ranks of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 1013 to eventually become its president. He was one of the original founding members of the local when it was organized in 1933. Over the years he served the union in various capacities as steward, recording secretary, financial secretary, and executive board member.

In 1955, St. Pierre was appointed an international representative for the IBEW; a position he held until his retirement in 1976. As international representative, he was responsible for union organizing and collective bargaining activities in southeastern New England. He was also president of the Greater Hartford Labor Council in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

St. Pierre served on the State Development Commissions during the Administration of Governor Chester Bowles>, and he was a member of the board of directors for the Hartford YMCA for many years.

He died on May 16, 1986, at the age of 78 and is buried at Mount St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Extent

8 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Eugene St. Pierre was a prominent labor leader in the Hartford area from 1955 to 1974.

Arrangement

Series I: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Records (1954-1974) contains records of the national offices of the IBEW. The series consists of correspondence, health and pension benefits information, surveys, newsletters, charter and by-law instructions, as well as weekly and financial reports. There is also correspondence with John Flynn, the international vice-president for the New England area and St. Pierre's immediate supervisor.

Series II: IBEW Local Union Records (1933-1974) contains material exchanged by the local unions for which St. Pierre, as one of the eight international representatives for New England, was responsible. Included are correspondence, newsletters, election results, membership and officer lists, information on dues, records and notes concerning contract disputes and agreements, and other paperwork related to local union activity. The minutes, officers' lists, by-laws, benefits, and dues for Local 1013, of which St. Pierre was a member, are included for 1933 to 1974.

Series III: Labor Organizations (1933-1974) contains material regarding labor organizations which St. Pierre dealt with or was a member of, including the Connecticut Labor Department, the Connecticut State Labor Council, the Committee on Political Education, the Greater Hartford Labor Council, the Connecticut AFL-CIO and Rhode Island AFL-CIO, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the National Labor Relations Board. This series also contains pay rate comparisons for various industries in Connecticut between 1933 and 1967.

Series IV: Personal Papers (1934-1974) contains information about local and state organizations with which St. Pierre was associated throughout his career. These include the Community Renewal Team of Hartford, the >Connecticut Marketing Authority, the Hartford YMCA, and the Urban Policy Conference Program. In addition, this series contains personal correspondence, newsletters, and a collection of memorabilia such as convention ribbons and souvenirs, newspaper clippings, photographs, business cards, union ballots, and personal documents.

Custodial History

The Eugene St. Pierre Papers were donated to the University of Connecticut Foundation by the estate of Eugene St. Pierre in May 1986.

Acquisition Information

The papers were transferred to the University of Connecticut Archives by the University Foundation in 1986. Donations in 2004 and 2019 were made by Anne Skarbek, Eugene St. Pierre's neice.

Subjects

Administrative records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Connecticut (state) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Electric industries Subject Source: Fast
Electricians Subject Source: Fast
Financial records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Fliers (printed matter) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Hartford (inhabited place) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Labor Subject Source: Fast
Labor leaders Subject Source: Fast
Labor unions Subject Source: Fast
Notes Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photocopies Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Political participation Subject Source: Fast
Publications (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
United States (nation) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
minutes (administrative records) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus