New Deal and Postwar Era Labor Collections At The Catholic University of America

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Special Collections at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, is home to a large archive of records and documents related to the Catholic Church and social justice. These include the papers of several notable Catholic lay labor leaders, such as Philip Murray and John Brophy, as well as several “labor priests,” in particular Msgr. John A. Ryan and Bishop Francis J. Haas, who articulated Church support for workers’ rights. Additionally, there are the organizational records of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) prior to their 1955 merger with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to form the AFL-CIO. Many Catholics, including Murray and Brophy, were significant CIO leaders.