Walter Philip Reuther

Walter Philip Reuther was known for his labor politics and social activism. At the age of 15 he began work as an apprentice at the Wheeling Steel Corporation and in 1927 he had moved to Detroit. In 1931 he was a foreman and supervisor for the Ford Motor Company. In 1933 he and his brother went on a trip around the world travelling throughout Europe and Asia. When he came back he formed the West Side Local 174 branch of the newly formed United Autor Workers union. In 1946 he was elected president of the UAW and held that position until his death. In 1952 he also became the president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and worked to merge this group with other labor unions. Reuther was also heavily involved in the civil rights movement and was involved with the NAACP and the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1965 he marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Selma to Montgomery march. He and his wife were killed in a plane crash in 1970.