Robert Fechner | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Robert Fechner in 1939 | |
| Director of theCivilian Conservation Corps | |
| In office April 5, 1933 (1933-04-05) – 1939 (1939) | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceding | Position created |
| Succeeded by | James McEntee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1876-03-22)March 22, 1876 Chattanooga,Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1939(1939-12-31) (aged 63) |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Occupation | Labor union leader |
Robert Fechner (March 22, 1876 – December 31, 1939) was a national labor union leader and director of theCivilian Conservation Corps (1933–39), which played a central role in the development of state and national parks in theUnited States.
Born inChattanooga,Tennessee,[1] with only a public school elementary education he rose to become an Americanlabor union leader and vice president of theInternational Association of Machinists. He had a reputation for fairness, tact, and patience in all his dealings.[2][3] On April 5, 1933 he was appointed by PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt to be the Director of theCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It was Fechner's fairness and ability for organization and administration that impressed the president to his appointment as director.[2]
Fechner insisted on segregating the CCC making it "almost out of reach for southern blacks." He also kept blacks out of CCC leadership positions claiming that "whites would feel safer in their communities near the camp if white officers and officials were in complete control."[4]
Although he had been an important labor figure, Fechner objected to attempts of union organizers to form unions among CCC enrollees in the camps. He felt that the government was doing all it possibly could for the well-being of the enrollees: well fed, supporting dependents with monthly earnings, getting an education; and they were contributing in a constructive manner to the conservation needs of the nation. The need for a union in this situation was not necessary, and he issued orders to keep union organizers out of the CCC camps and gave instructions that if any of the CCC enrolees joined a union they were to be discharged.[5] Upon Fechner's death in office, he was succeeded as CCC Director byJames McEntee.[6]
Fechner's likeness appeared on the cover ofTime magazine on February 6, 1939. He was buried inArlington National Cemetery.
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