Gordon H. Cole papers

Gordon H. Cole was the long-time editor of The Machinist, the newspaper for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, from 1947-1976. Prior to 1956, Cole was president of the American Federation of Labor’s (AFL) union press association, the International Labor Press of America. Cole served as the AFL’s chief representative during negotiations with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the move to create the International Labor Press Association (IPLA) in 1956, of which Cole became the first president. The IPLA eventually became the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) in 1983. Cole also taught as an adjunct professor of labor communications at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies. Cole's papers include writings and speeches, press materials, notes and research, and photographs and negatives, among other materials. A preliminary inventory for these materials is available and can be found in the "Additional Description" section of this finding aid.