Author: Pershing, George.
Title: A Wonderful Vintage 1929 News Photograph Depicting Communist Party Leader and Union Organizer George Pershing, a Cousin to General John Pershing Who Commanded American Forces in the First World War.
Description: International Newsreel Corp. 1929. 1929. - sc The 8 inch high by 6 inch wide photograph depicts the young George Pershing from the chest up. The National Textile Workers Union organizer is handsomely attired in a dark three piece suit over white shirt and tie. This is a vintage photograph, likely reproduced from their newsreel footage, distributed by the International Newsreel Corp. at the time. International Newsreel's credit line with their eagle logo is stamped on the verso. Once attached to the verso of the photograph, a sheet of paper on which is typed the text for a press release, accompanies the photograph.

The text of the press release reads as follows:

"ALLEGED RELATIVE OF GENERAL PERSHING, LEADER OF STRIKING FACTION.

CHARLOTTE, N.C...George Pershing who claims and has papers purporting to prove that he is a cousin of Gen. John J. Pershing commander of the A.E.F. who is leader of the communist party who organized the local of the National Textile Workers' Union, (re-pudiated by the A.F. of L.) which is now engaged in a strike accompanied by serious rioting at the Loray Mills Gastonia, N.C. / B-4.5.29".

One of several textile mills to strikes at that time, Loray Mills was the first in the country to be owned by Northern owners who sought to benefit from a poor white Southern labor pool who were paid far less than their Northern counterparts. Exploitation of the workers resulted in a wave of walk-outs and strikes, one of the most famous of which was that at Loray Mills. Not only were striking workers struggling against the mill owners but the Communist led National Textile Workers' Union, organized by Fred Irwin Beal and George Pershing was pitted against the A.F. of L.'s United Textile Workers' Union, which was not against using strong-arm tactics to gain the advantage. Very good .

Keywords: AMERICANA; LABOR; UNION; WORKERS; STRIKE; TEXTILE; NATIONAL TEXTILE WORKERS' UNION; GEORGE PERSHING; GENERAL JOHN PERSHING; PHOTOGRAPH; PHOTOGRAPHY; PORTRAIT; NEWS; PRESS; PHOTO; INTERNATIONAL NEWSREEL CORP.; PRESS RELEASE; STRIKES; WALK-OUTS.

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