Frank Crosswaith | |
|---|---|
 Crosswaithc. 1933 | |
| Chairman of the Negro Labor Committee | |
| In office July 20, 1935 – June 17, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | L. Joseph Overton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1892-07-16)July 16, 1892 |
| Died | June 17, 1965(1965-06-17) (aged 72) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Socialist(before 1939) American Labor(after 1939) |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Occupation | Politician, labor leader |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1907 |
Frank Rudolph Crosswaith (July 16, 1892 – June 17, 1965)[1] was a West Indian-born AmericanSocialist politician, activist andtrade union organizer inNew York City who founded and chaired theNegro Labor Committee from 1935 until his death in 1965. He was also appointed the first black member of theNew York City Housing Authority, serving from 1942 to 1958.
Frank R. Crosswaith was born on July 16, 1892, inFrederiksted,St. Croix,Danish West Indies (the island was sold to the United States in 1917 and became part of theU.S. Virgin Islands). His parents were William I. Crosswaith and Anne Eliza Crosswaith. He emigrated to the United States in his teens. While finishing high school, he worked as an elevator operator, porter and garment worker. He joined the elevator operators' union and when he finished high school, he won a scholarship from the socialistThe Jewish Daily Forward to attend theRand School of Social Science, an educational institute in New York City associated with theSocialist Party of America.[2]
Crosswaith founded an organization called the Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers in 1925, but this work went by the wayside when Crosswaith accepted a position as an organizer for the fledglingBrotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Crosswaith maintained a long association with union headA. Philip Randolph, serving with him as officers of the Negro Labor Committee in the 1930s and 1940s.[citation needed]
In the early 1930s Crosswaith worked as an organizer for theInternational Ladies Garment Workers Union, which became one of the major supporters of the Negro Labor Committee.[citation needed]
In 1934, Crosswaith co-founded and chaired theHarlem Labor Committee (HLC), which he tried to align with theAmerican Federation of Labor (AFL), then seeking African-American members.[2]
On July 20, 1935, the Negro Labor Conference established the Negro Labor Committee, with Crosswaith elected as chairman.[2]
Crosswaith was an anti-communist and believed that the best hope for black workers in the United States was to join bona fide labor unions just as the best hope for the American labor movement was to welcome black workers into unions in order to promote solidarity and eliminate the use of black workers as strike breakers. He believed strongly that "separation of workers by race would only work to undermine the strength of the entire labor movement." Crosswaith spent much of his energy in the late 1930s and early 1940s battling a rival labor organization called theHarlem Labor Union, Inc., which was run byIra Kemp and had a black nationalist philosophy. He accused Kemp of undermining the interests of black workers by signing agreements with employers that offered them labor at wages below union rates.[citation needed]
Crosswaith also worked with A. Philip Randolph duringWorld War II in organizing theMarch on Washington Movement, which was called off when PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt agreed to signExecutive Order 8802, which prohibited racial discrimination in defense industries.[citation needed]
Crosswaith ran forCongress nine times between1922 and1940, as well as forSecretary of State of New York in1924,State Assembly in 1931, President of theBoard of Aldermen in 1933,New York City Comptroller in 1937, andNew York City Council in 1939.[3] The majority of these were under the Socialist Party ticket, but his run for City Council and his last Congressional run were under theAmerican Labor Party ticket.[4]
In 1942, Crosswaith was appointed byNew York City mayorFiorello La Guardia to theNew York City Housing Authority,[5] the first black man to join the body. He served until 1958.[6]
Crosswaith died at his home in New York City on June 17, 1965.[2][7]
Crosswaith was known as the "Negro Debs" (afterEugene V. Debs).[2]
On Crosswaith, Robert Fay wrote: "Crosswaith, a Socialist, sought to ally African American workers with white workers under the banner of class. Thus, he opposed African American leaders who believed in racial alliance alone."[2]
Additional information on Crosswaith may be found in the Negro Labor Committee Records held by theSchomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.[citation needed]
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