Guide to the International Workers Order Records TAM.001
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
10th Floor
New York, NY 10012
(212) 998-2630
tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on April 05, 2018
Description is in English.
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | International Workers Order Records |
|---|---|
| Dates [inclusive]: | 1930-1956, (Bulk 1940-1951) |
| Dates [bulk]: | 1945-1951 |
| Abstract: | The International Workers Order (IWO), a Communist-affiliated, ethnically organized fraternal order, was founded in 1930 following a split from the Workmen's Circle. At its peak, shortly after World War II, the IWO had almost 200,000 members and provided low-cost health and life insurance, medical and dental clinics, and supported foreign-language newspapers, cultural and educational activities. The IWO was put on the Attorney General's list of subversive organizations in 1947 which ultimately led to the liquidation of the IWO in 1954. The material documents the political activities of the IWO and several of its constituent groups, notably the Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order (including Yiddish-language material), the New York State Department of Insurance case against the IWO, and the Ingram Case, a 1940's court case in which a black woman and her two sons were sentenced to death for the murder of a white man. |
| Quantity: | 1 Linear Feet (1 box) |
| Call Phrase: | TAM.001 |
Historical/Biographical Note
The International Workers Order (IWO), a Communist-affiliated, ethnically organized fraternal order, was founded in 1930 following a split from the Workmen's Circle, the Jewish labor fraternal order. Max Bedacht, the IWO general secretary from 1932-1946, also served on the Communist Party's Political Bureau. At its peak, shortly after World War II, the IWO had almost 200,000 members, including 50,000 in the Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order. The IWO provided low-cost health and life insurance, medical and dental clinics, and the individual sections supported foreign-language newspapers, and a range of cultural and educational activities and institutions, including children's camps and cultural schools. The placement of the IWO on the Attorney General's list of subversive organizations in 1947 was the first of a series of events that led to the liquidation of the IWO in 1954, after it had lost its tax exempt status and insurance charter.
Scope and Content Note
The records contain clippings, correspondence, ephemera, legal documents, manuscripts, minutes, press releases, printed materials, and reports, arranged alphabetically. The material documents the political activities of the IWO and several of its constituent groups, notably the Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order (including Yiddish-language material), the New York State Department of Insurance case against the IWO, and the Ingram Case, a 1940's court case in which a black woman and her two sons were sentenced to death for the murder of a white man. IWO leaders represented include Max Bedacht (general secretary), Walter B. Garland, and Sam Milgrom (executive secretary). There is also an unpublished manuscript, "Jewish People's Fraternal Order of the International Workers Order" (1950, 35 pp.), by Lucy S. Davidowitz (later known as Lucy S. Dawidowicz), a critical history focusing on the JPFO's relationship with the Communist movement. Several photographs were removed to the library's Nonprint collection.
Arrangement
The files are grouped into one series.
Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject/author heading.
Access Points
Subject Names
- Garland, Walter B.
- Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971.
- Bedacht, Max, 1883-1972
- Milgrom, Sam.
- Dawidowicz, Lucy S.
- Goldsmith, William
Document Type
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence.
- Printed ephemera.
- Legal documents.
- Press releases.
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Manuscripts (document genre)
- Reports.
Subject Organizations
- Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
- Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order of the I.W.O. (U.S.)
- International Workers Order
Subject Topics
- African Americans -- Civil rights -- United States.
- Communism and culture -- United States.
- Civil rights -- United States.
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
The Tamiment Library has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1930 to 1956, are expected to enter the public domain in 2077.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder
number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by William Goldsmith, 1960. The accession number associated with this gift is 1960.002
Container List
Series I
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box: 1 | Folder : 1 | American Slav Committee of Greater New York and Vicinity; May 23, 1942 |
1942 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 2 | Bedacht, Max: Draft Report of the General Secretary; August 29, 1946 |
1946 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 3 | Board of Directors Meeting; November 1949 |
1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 4 | Carpatho-Russian National Society |
1943-1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 5 | Cervantes Society Mutualista Obrera Puertorriquena |
1949-1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 6 | Circulars |
1947-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 7 | Correspondence |
1948-1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 8 | Davidowitz, Lucy S.: "Jewish People's Fraternal Order of the International Workers
Order" (unpublished ts, 35 pp., and related documents); November 1950 |
1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 9 | Du Sable Lodge (Illinois) |
1948 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 10 | Education Department Accession Book |
undated | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 11 | Garibaldi American Fraternal Society |
1948-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 12 | General Council Meeting Minutes; 15-16 Sep 1945 |
1945 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 13 | General Council Meeting Minutes; 16-17 Mar 1946 |
1946 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 14 | General Council Meeting Minutes; 7-8 Sep 1946 |
1946 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 15 | General Council Meeting: Report by the General Secretary; February 1945 |
1945 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 16 | General Council Meeting: Report by Sam Milgrom on Developments of the Drive to Build
the Order in the Negro Community; September 16, 1945 |
1945 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 17 | General Council Meeting: Reports; 1-2 Mar 1947 |
1947 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 18 | General Council Meeting: Reports; 3-4 Feb 1951 |
1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 19 | Goldsmith, William: Correspondence re: IWO Study (for Fund for the Republic) |
1956 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 20 | Hellenic-American Brotherhood |
1948 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 21 | Ingram Case: Clippings, Ephemera |
undated , 1948 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 22 | Ingram Case: Contributions |
1948-1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 23 | Ingram Case: Family Correspondence |
1948 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 24 | Ingram Case: Ingram Children's Education & Welfare Fund |
1948-1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 25 | Ingram Case: Legal Matters, NAACP |
1948-1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 26 | Ingram Case: News Releases, Statements |
1949-1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 27 | Ingram Case: Tour Arrangements |
1948 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 28 | Internal Documents (IWO) |
undated | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 29 | Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order: Correspondence |
1947-1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 30 | Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order: Internal Documents, Statements, etc. (many in Yiddish) |
ca.1948-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 31 | Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order: Press Releases |
1947-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 32 | Milgrom, Sam: Correspondence |
1947-1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 33 | New York State Insurance Dept. vs IWO: Briefs |
undated , 1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 34 | New York State Insurance Dept. vs IWO: Legal Documents, Miscellaneous |
1947-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 35 | New York State Insurance Dept. vs IWO: Rank & File Testimony |
undated | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 36 | New York State Insurance Dept. vs IWO: Report on Examination of the IWO; April 21,
1950 |
1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 37 | Polonia Society |
1945-1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 38 | Resident Board Meeting: Minutes; June 8, 1949 |
1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 39 | Resolutions |
undated , 1949 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 40 | Russian Section |
1937-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 41 | Serbian-American Federation |
1939-1947 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 42 | Slovak Workers Society |
1947-1951 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 43 | Statements (Miscellaneous) |
1931-1937 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 44 | Ukranian-American Fraternal Union |
1949-1950 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 45 | Workmen's Circle, Break from: Text of Declaration |
1930 | |
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