Martin Patrick Durkin
Martin Durkin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th United States Secretary of Labor | |
| In office January 21, 1953 – September 10, 1953 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Maurice J. Tobin |
| Succeeded by | James P. Mitchell |
| Illinois Director of Labor | |
| In office September 1, 1933[1] – September 29, 1941[2] | |
| Governor | Henry Horner[1] Dwight H. Green[2] |
| Preceded by | Barney Cohen[1] |
| Succeeded by | Francis B. Murphy[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 18, 1894 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 1955 (aged 61) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Anna McNicholas |
| Children | 3 |
Martin Patrick Durkin (March 18, 1894 – November 13, 1955) was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of Labor from January 21, 1953, to September 10, 1953, where he was the "plumber" of President Dwight Eisenhower's "Nine Millionaires and a Plumber"[3] cabinet.
Biography
[edit]Durkin was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 18, 1894, the son of James J. Durkin and Mary Catherine (née Higgins). At the age of 17, Durkin became involved in the plumber's and pipe fitter's union.[4] On August 29, 1921, Durkin married the former Anna H. McNicholas. They had three sons: Martin Bernard, William Joseph and John Francis Durkin.
He eventually became president of that union. He then served as Illinois's Director of Labor starting in September 1933, being appointed by Govenor Henry Horner.[1] He worked closely with the President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins during this time. He resigned in September of 1941.[2]
Durkin served as the Secretary of Labor during the Eisenhower administration. A Democrat among Republicans, he unsuccessfully pushed for his revisions in the Taft-Hartley Act. This led to his resignation after less than eight months in office, the shortest tenure of any Secretary of Labor.[4]
He died in Washington D.C., from complications of cancer surgery. He was interred in St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Martin P. Durkin Appointed State Labor Office Head". The Belleville News-Democrat. August 30, 1933. p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Durkin Resigns as Director of Labor". The Belleville News-Democrat. September 29, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ Jonathan Martin (2008-11-23). "Whither the Cabinet Republicans?". Politico.
- ^ a b "U.S. Department of Labor -- History -- Portraits: Martin P. Durkin". Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
External links
[edit]
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