Harold Pritchett papers and oral history interview, 1937-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Pritchett, Harold, 1904-
Title
Harold Pritchett papers and oral history interview
Dates
1937-1971 (inclusive)
1940 (bulk)
Quantity
approximately .33 cubic feet of textual materials
1 sound cassette
Collection Number
1475, 1749
Summary
Interview, papers and ephemera of a Shingle weaver and labor organization leader
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Audio and transcript of the audio cassette are available on the Internet Archive and the Libraries' Digital Collections website. The original cassette is not accessible due to preservation concerns.

Request at UW

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Harold Pritchett was born in England in 1904. He immigrated to Canada, and began working in a Port Moody sawmill at age 15. He was the first president of International Woodworkers of America, 1936-1940. Thereafter, he organized woodworkers in British Columbia and was a member of the British Columbia Federation of Labor.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Interview, correspondence, reports, ephemera, xerox copies of correspondence, and union newspapers. Oral history interview includes discussion of Pritchett's involvement and subsequent election to president of the International Woodworkers of America, and later affiliation with the CIO (Congress of Industrial organizations), 1930s to early 1940s.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

Listen to the audio recording and view the transcript of this interview on the Internet Archive.

Listen to the audio recording of this interview on the Libraries' Digital Collections website.

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized into 2 accessions.

  • Accession No. 1475-001, Harold Pritchett papers and oral history interview, 1937-1971
  • Accession No. 1749-001, Harold Pritchett papers, 1971

Preservation Note

Audio and transcript of the audio cassette are available on the Internet Archive and the Libraries' Digital Collections website. The original cassette is not accessible due to preservation concerns.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Accession No. 1475-001: Harold Pritchett papers and oral history interview, 1937-1971 (bulk 1940)Return to Top

.33 cubic feet of textual materials
1 sound cassette

Scope and Content: Interview, correspondence, reports, ephemera, xerox copies of correspondence.

In the interview, Pritchett discusses his involvement and subsequent election to president of the International Woodworkers of America, and later affiliation with the CIO (Congress of Industrial organizations), 1930s to early 1940s. He talks about the reasons why the Woodworkers union wanted to leave the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (AFL) and resistance to joining the CIO. He describes conflicts between the union and employers and the attempts to create strife within the union itself and also conflicts with the Longshoreman's Union. He talks about a constitutional amendment to expel all communists and fascists from the union, the strike at Bloedel Donovan in Bellingham, Washington in 1937 and attempts to organize in the "deep South" in 1940.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users. The interview and transcript can be accessed online. The original analog tape cannot be played due to preservation concerns.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Donated by Harold Pritchett, Burnaby, B.C., October 31, 1970.

Description
Harold Pritchett papers and oral history interview

Accession No. 1749-001: Harold Pritchett papers, 1971Return to Top

16 pages

Scope and Content: Union newspaper-IWA Local 180 bulletin, centennial edition, 1971 containing Pritchett's historical account of IWA.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Donated by Harold Pritchett, Port Coquitlam, B.C., November 12, 1971.

Description
Harold Pritchett papers

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Coughlin, Paul
  • Orton, O. M
  • Pressman, Lee
  • Pritchett, Harold, 1904- --Archives
  • Pritchett, Harold, 1904- --Interviews

Corporate Names

  • Communist Party of the United States of America
  • Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)
  • International Woodworkers of America
  • United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (AFL)

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • International Woodworkers of America. Local 180 (creator)
    • Labor Archives of Washington (University of Washington) (creator)