Evening star., 1939-07-30

For the latest of a series of tough as
signments doled out by the Congress of
Industrial Organizations in its four years
of existence, that of molding into single
industrial union the workers of some so
classihcations of employment in the
building trades, John L. Lewis has
reached into the ranks of his own family.
His choice was A. D. Dennie) Lewis,
the kid brother" who has lived most
of his even so years in the shadow of
an older and more illustrious family
standard bearer.
on January %, 1889, one of family of
seven children of Welsh parentage and
bred to the coal industry which had
brought them to America. In nearby
Lucas, he attended the public schools,
but at the age of 16 his career in the
dark and dank soft coal pits began.
For 18 years, interrupted by II months
service in the Army during the World
War, the stocky- -black-haired Lewis,
younger by nine years than John Level
lyn, worked at the business of digging
coal. In fact, even during the war he
was not far removed from this familiar
occupation as he was enrolled in the
9th Engineers, company of miners
trained and assigned to sapping duties.
Six months of this wartime service
took place overseas.
From the first day he entered the
ground of soft coal mine Dennie Lewis
has carried his card in the United Mine
Workers and been diligently active in
its affairs, first locally and later ma
tionally. Briefly, after the World War,
he carried a card also in the Interna-
tional Brotherhood of Electrical Work.
ers, a powerful affiliate of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor and one Of
the three major units of the building
trade department against which the C.
I. O. is now launching it's direct offensive.
White Collar Worker.
In 1923, Dennis Lewis began his white
collar" career with an appointment as
assistant director of the Department of
Mines and Minerals for Illinois. A year
later, former Gov. Small named him
director of the department., an Office
which he held until 1880. Deeply inter-
ested in and well acquainted with the
problems involved in increasing the
safety ratio for work in the mines, Lewis
devoted his major efforts during these
six years to strengthening the safety
regulations and improving the States
record in this respect.
In 1880, Republican Secretary of Labor
James J. Davis, now United States Sem
ator from Pennsylvania, appointed the
younger Lewis assistant director of the
United States Employment Service.
Meanwhile, the job of running the
United Mine Workers was demanding an
increasing amount of executive attention
with the result that John L. found him.
self in need of a confidential and ex-
perienced assistant. So when the expira-
ton of Senator Davis term as Secretary
of Labor indicated that new appoint
ments might be made in other depart
mental posts. Dennis Lewis resigned to
become assistant to the president of the
United Mine Workers.
He has held this job ever since and ex-
cept for incidental activities in connec-
ton with the c. I. O., at the 1885 birth
Of which he was present, he has devoted
himself exclusively to the problems of
the miners union. In fact, at periods
when the C. I. o. has demanded the full
time attention of John L., his brother
assistant has taken over the complete
jobs of handling the affairs Of this enter
prise, not an inconsequential task when
it Is realized that its membership exceeds
the half-million mark, with the ramifica-
tions OF its business interests being many
and varied