John Francis O'Donnell Papers
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Abstract
John Francis O'Donnell (1907-1993) was a New York City labor lawyer for 55 years. Over the course of his career, O'Donnell achieved many victories for transit and postal workers. The bulk of O'Donnell's papers relate to his work as general counsel for the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), though his work with the American Postal Workers Union and various other unions also comprises a significant portion of the collection. O'Donnell's daughter, Eileen Ginn, used his papers when researching for her biography on O'Donnell, and some of her correspondence and research files, including a number of oral histories she conducted, are present in the collection.
Historical/Biographical Note
John Francis O'Donnell (1907-1993) was a New York City lawyer who achieved many victories for labor unions over the span of his 55-year career, particularly for striking transit and postal workers. Born in Donegal, Ireland, O'Donnell was a supporter of the Irish Republican Army. Around age 20, British authorities caught O'Donnell carrying a pistol. He moved to New York to avoid getting into any further trouble with the British government.
O'Donnell worked various odd jobs after moving to New York, including elevator operator, grocery store clerk, and writer of newspaper editorials for The Irish Echo. He attended night classes at Fordham University, earning his law degree in 1937. O'Donnell formed a law partnership with Asher Schwartz in 1948 and later formed an affiliated law firm in Washington specializing in labor law and union clients.
In the 1930s, O'Donnell became an aide and friend to City Councilman Michael J. Quill, who would go on to found and lead the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). O'Donnell began serving as the TWU's general counsel in 1948, a role he held until his death. He played a key role in the 1980 New York City transit strike, helping to secure pay increases for bus and subway workers.
In addition to his work with the TWU, O'Donnell was the chief lawyer for the American Postal Workers Union. In this role, he sought to protect postal workers' retirement benefits and attacked the use of part-time workers, as workers feared part-time work would threaten full-time positions.
O'Donnell's daughter, Eileen Ginn, wrote a biography of O'Donnell, A Man from Bruckless, published in 2010.
Arrangement
Although materials in Boxes 1-5 have not been arranged intellectually by an archivist, Tamiment staff members may have altered the original physical arrangement of these boxes.
Photographs in Box 6 are arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains legal documents, correspondence and memoranda, notes, speeches, photographs, and publications chronicling the life and work of John Francis O'Donnell. The bulk of the materials relate to O'Donnell's work as general counsel for the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), though his work with the American Postal Workers Union also comprises a significant portion of the collection. Additionally, there is material on O'Donnell's legal work with various other unions, as well as his involvement with the Irish Republicanism movement.
O'Donnell's daughter, Eileen Ginn, used these papers in the research for her biography of O'Donnell, and some of her correspondence and research files are present in the collection. She conducted a series of oral history interviews with her father and those who knew him, and her recordings and transcripts are included in the collection.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by John Francis O'Donnell and Eileen Ginn, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; John Francis O'Donnell Papers; WAG 170; Box number; Folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Some materials may have been removed from the Transport Workers Union of America Records (WAG 235) by Tamiment staff in 1985 to form the John Francis O'Donnell Papers (WAG 170). The accession number 1985.015 is associated with these materials.
Eileen Ginn, John O'Donnell's daughter, made an additional donation of materials in 2011. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 2011.081 and 2011.105.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu, (212) 998-2630 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Separated Materials
Over a dozen volumes of the Transport Workers Union of America's convention proceedings and reports from the 2011 donation were separated for library cataloging, along with four volumes of the periodical TWU Express and four Irish Republican pamphlets.
Other Finding Aids
A more detailed inventory of the contents of the collection is available at the Tamiment Library. A partial inventory of Eileen Ginn's oral history interviews is also available at the Tamiment Library.
About this Guide
Processing Information
In 2011, a Tamiment staff member did some initial rough arrangement and description of the collection. Some of the folder titles and annotations on the folders were provided by this staff member.
Photographs separated from this collection at the time of accessioning were established as a separate collection, the John Francis O'Donnell Photographs (PHOTOS 285). In 2014, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the John Francis O'Donnell Papers (WAG 170).