Mariano S. Bishop
Encyclopedia
Mariano S. Bishop was a labor organizer and union leader who served in turn as principal Organizer, Director, and Executive Vice President of the Textile Workers Union of America
.
in the Azores
and grew up in the south end of Fall River
, Massachusetts
, where his family brought him as a young child. In his twenties he starred with Ponta Delgada
, an amateur soccer club based in Fall River, which drew players from the Portuguese
immigrant community, among the most celebrated amateur soccer clubs in United States history.
The movement that led to the forming of the Congress of Industrial Organizations
, proposed in 1932, independent of the American Federation of Labor
, attracted, among others, Polish, Lithuanian, Italian, and Portuguese immigrant workers from all over industrial New England. Bishop was one of these.
In 1934 he led the massive strike of textile workers in Fall River, a city among the largest producers of cotton goods in the world. This was part of the largest strike in American history, an action by 400,000 textile workers in all areas of the country
, which ended unsuccessfully and destroyed the United Textile Workers, the predecessor of the Textile Workers Union of America. Bishop’s athletic abilities proved ever useful when facing down management enforcers.
The Textile Workers' Union of America was founded in 1939 in Philadelphia. Emil Rieve
became its first President and Mariano Bishop was its principal Organizer. The TWUA succeeded from the Textile Workers' Organizing Committee established by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and the CIO in 1937. By the end of World War II
the TWUA had organized most textile workers and others in New England with 70,000 Southerners as well, improving wages and conditions greatly. Bishop became one of the directors of the TWUA in 1943 and became international executive vice president in 1952.
Bishop died suddenly at 46 on January 2, 1953, suffering a heart attack on the way to a union meeting in New Jersey
. His funeral in Fall River was said at the time to have been the largest in city history.
Known in his day in his hometown as "The Most Important American of Portuguese Descent," Bishop remains an important figure of Portuguese-American heritage.
Mariano S. Bishop Boulevard in Fall River is named for him.
Textile Workers Union of America
The Textile Workers Union of America was an industrial union of textile workers established through the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1939 and merged with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America to become the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union in 1976. It waged a...
.
Biography
Bishop (his last name being an anglicized version of Bispo) was born November 14, 1906 on the island of São MiguelSão Miguel
-Brazil:* São Miguel, Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte* Barra de São Miguel, Alagoas, a municipality in the State of Alagoas* Barra de São Miguel, Paraíba, a municipality in the State of Paraíba* São Miguel do Aleixo, a municipality in the State of Sergipe...
in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and grew up in the south end of Fall River
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where his family brought him as a young child. In his twenties he starred with Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada S.C.
Ponta Delgada Soccer Club, also referred to as Fall River Ponta Delgada, was a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. The club was formed by members of the city’s Portuguese community and shared its name with Ponta Delgada, the capital city of the Azores, an autonomous...
, an amateur soccer club based in Fall River, which drew players from the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
immigrant community, among the most celebrated amateur soccer clubs in United States history.
The movement that led to the forming of the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
, proposed in 1932, independent of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
, attracted, among others, Polish, Lithuanian, Italian, and Portuguese immigrant workers from all over industrial New England. Bishop was one of these.
In 1934 he led the massive strike of textile workers in Fall River, a city among the largest producers of cotton goods in the world. This was part of the largest strike in American history, an action by 400,000 textile workers in all areas of the country
Textile workers strike (1934)
The textile workers' strike of 1934 was the largest strike in the labor history of the United States at the time, involving 400,000 textile workers from New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and the U.S. Southern states, lasting twenty-two days...
, which ended unsuccessfully and destroyed the United Textile Workers, the predecessor of the Textile Workers Union of America. Bishop’s athletic abilities proved ever useful when facing down management enforcers.
The Textile Workers' Union of America was founded in 1939 in Philadelphia. Emil Rieve
Emil Rieve
Emil Rieve was a Polish American labor leader. He was president of the Textile Workers Union of America from 1939 to 1956, a vice president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations from 1939 to 1955, and a vice president of the AFL-CIO from 1955 to 1960.Emil Rieve was born in Poland and...
became its first President and Mariano Bishop was its principal Organizer. The TWUA succeeded from the Textile Workers' Organizing Committee established by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and the CIO in 1937. By the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the TWUA had organized most textile workers and others in New England with 70,000 Southerners as well, improving wages and conditions greatly. Bishop became one of the directors of the TWUA in 1943 and became international executive vice president in 1952.
Bishop died suddenly at 46 on January 2, 1953, suffering a heart attack on the way to a union meeting in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His funeral in Fall River was said at the time to have been the largest in city history.
Known in his day in his hometown as "The Most Important American of Portuguese Descent," Bishop remains an important figure of Portuguese-American heritage.
Mariano S. Bishop Boulevard in Fall River is named for him.