International Presidents and General Secretary-Treasurers

The International President, originally known as the Grand Master Machinist, is the elected head of the I.A.M.A.W.

Tom Talbot

Tom Talbot, 1888-1890

- 1849: Born in Chesterfield County, South Carolina; became an apprentice machinist in Florence, South Carolina at age 16.
- Attempted to set up a union in South Carolina early 1880's and was a member of some early large fraternal orders.
- 1887: Worked as a Machinist for the Eastern Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad in Atlanta, GA.
- 1888: Founded, along with 18 other machinists the Order of United Machinists and Mechanical Engineers, the association that would become the I.A.M.A.W.
- 1889: First issue of the Machinists Monthly Journal published.
- Served as the Grand Master Machinist for the Order of United Machinists and Mechanical Engineers of America until 1890.
Al J. Hayes

Al J. Hayes, 1949-1965

- Born 1900, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Apprenticed in West Milwaukee shops of the Milwaukee Railroad.
- Joined Lodge 234 as a journeyman; "boomed" around the railroad for wider experience.
- Participated in the Great Railroad Strike, 1922 as a member of Local 1052.
- Served as shop chairman in a few shops, then was elected District Lodge 7 president.
- 1934: Appointed to Grand Lodge 10 staff by I.P. Wharton.
- Served as a member of the Regional War Labor Board in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1944: became member of the Executive Council; I.P. Brown appointed him as a General Vice President the next year.
James J. Creamer

James J. Creamer, 1890-1892

- 1861: Born in Richmond, Virginia; he became an apprentice at age 17 at the Richmond Locomotive Machine Works
- Served as secretary for the Richmond Order of the Knights of Labor.
- Organized Local Lodge 10, Order of Machinists and Mechanical Engineers in Richmond, Virginia.
- Delegate to first convention in Atlanta and chosen as Grand Foreman.
- Moved union headquarters to Richmond upon being named Grand Master Machinist, a position he held for only two years before stepping down.
- 1890: Canadian Local Lodge 103, was chartered in Stratford, Ontario, making the National Association of Machinists an international organization (I.A.M.).
- Credited with drafting the I.A.M. Constitution.
- Went on to serve in the Virginia legislature, helped write some early labor laws for the state, and continued editing the Machinists Monthly Journal until 1895.
P. L. "Roy" Siemiller

P. L. "Roy" Siemiller, 1965-1969

- 1904: born near the Platte River, Nebraska.
- Became an apprentice when under aged by fibbing about his birth date; was hired for 9 hours a day, at 11 cents an hour
- Completed apprenticeship, served in the Navy, went to work for Rock Island RR in Herrington, Kansas
- 1929: Joined Local 823 in Port Arthur, TX; job disappeared because of the stock market crash that year.
- Harrison, Arakansas: organized Local 1093, as well as other locals
- I.P. Wharton appointed him as a temporary organizer, then given a permanent appointment to Grand Lodge Staff in 1937
- Began the "Go-Go" years of the I.A.M., using the term from the new rock dance style of the times, to give the Union a new public look
John O'Day

John O'Day, 1892-1893

- Led Machinists into their first contract with a major railroad company (the Santa Fe).
- Approved organization of the first district lodge on the Union Pacific.
Floyd Emery "Red" Smith

Floyd Emery "Red" Smith, 1969-1977

- 1912: born in Kansas
- 1929: started work as a machinist's helper, at 25 cents per hour; the only work he ever did as a machinist. Lost job when the Depression hit.
- Began working as a bricklayer during the New Deal; became president of the Bricklayers' local in Las Vegas.
- Got to know the Business Representative for IAM Local 845 and later other IAM people in Nevada.
- Invited to serve as a Business Representative in California for the IAM.
- 1952: Appointed to Grand Lodge Staff.
- Served for 11 years as General Vice President for the Great Lakes Territory
- 1969: Elected as International President
- raised the monthly per capita to $1 a month after a union vote to help the suffering Strike Fund.
James O'Connell

James O'Connell, 1893-1911

- 1858: born in Minersville, Pennsylvania; he became an apprentice machinist at 16 in Oil City, Pennsylvania.
- 1886: Delegate to the Knights of Labor convention in Richmond, Virginia.
- 1890: Left the Knights of Labor, formed a local Machinists Union and affiliated with the I.A.M.
- 1891: Delegate to the Grand Lodge Convention, Pittsburgh. Elected to the IAM's first General Executive Board.
- 1893: Elected Grand Master Machinist
- 1895: Affiliated the I.A.M. with American Federation of Labor
William "Wimpy" Winpisinger

William "Wimpy" Winpisinger, 1977-1989

- 1924: Born in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1942: Began work in a machine tool factory, then enlisted with the U.S. Navy a few months later
- Post-WWII: joined IAM Local 1363 as an auto mechanic; went from recording secretary up to president.
- 1951: Appointed to Grand Lodge staff.
- 1955: Brought to Washington, D.C. by I.P. Hayes to aid in a joint organizaing project with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
- 1959: Negotiated first contract between IAM and Continental Airlines.
- 1967: Became Transportation General Vice President; moved that office from Chicago, Illinois to IAM headquarters in Washington, D.C.
- 1972: Appointed resident General Vice President by I.P. Smith
William Hugh Johnston

William Hugh Johnston, 1911-1926

- 1874: born in Nova Scotia
- 1888: became an apprentice at the Rhode Island Locomotive Works; later worked as a Journeyman through out New England.
- 1895: helped organize an IAM Lodge in Pawtucket, Rhode Island then transferred to Lodge 147 (Rhode Island Locomotive Works) in 1897, where he became president and chairman of the shop committee.
- 1905: Elected District president (area covering most of New England)
- 1911: Elected International President
- Established idea of Unions as a positive force for efficient, high-level production
George Kourpias

George Kourpias, 1989-1997

- Born in Sioux City, Iowa on June 10, 1932
- 1952: Joined Lodge 1637 (Sioux City) at Zenith Corporation. Became an active member of local central labor council and of the Iowa State AFL-CIO.
- 1956: Elected District 162 President.
- 1964: Appointed Grand Lodge Representative
- 1983: Elected General Vice President, IAM Headquarters.
- 1993: Appointed by President Clinton to serve as member of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).
- 1998 - present: President of the Alliance for Retired Americans (formerly the National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSC)).
A. O. Wharton

A. O. Wharton, 1926-1939

- 1873: born in Kansas.
- Became an apprentice, age 14 for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.
- 1890: Became journeyman, joined IAM, began working on the Union Pacific. Helped organize several lodges, led strike against Union Pacific in 1893.
- 1903: Became general chairman of IAM district on the Missouri Pacific Railroad
R. Thomas Buffenbarger

R. Thomas Buffenbarger, 1997-

- 1950: Born in Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University
- 1970: Elected Shop Steward, IAM Local 912, Evandale, Ohio.
- 1977: Elected Business Representative, District 34 Cincinnati.
- 1980: Became IAM Special Representative.
- 1983: Appointed Administrative Assistant for the Great Lakes Territory.
- 1986: Called to Washington, D.C. to join the Organizing Department
- 1988: Appointed Executive Assistant to I.P. Winpisinger.
- 1991: Became General Vice President at Headquarters, acted as chief of staff of all HQ operations
Harvey Brown

Harvey Brown, 1939-1949

- Apprenticeship at Bethlehem Steel.
- 1910: Elected Business Representative by a lodge in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
- 1911: Delegate and chairman of the Officer's Report Committee, Grand Lodge Convention.
- 1915: I.P. Johnston appointed Brown to Grand Lodge staff.
- Held other various labor positions between 1916 and 1921.
- 1921: Elected General Vice President.
- 1934: Wharton brought him to headquarters as resident GVP.
- 1939: Chosen by Executive Council to be Wharton's successor.
- 1949: Continued to serve after retirement as Labor Advisor to American High Commissioner for Germany.

 

 

General Secretary Treasurers

William L. Dawley

William L. Dawley, 1888-1895

- One of the original nineteen founders of the I.A.M.
- First Grand Secretary.
- 1895: Returned to Atlanta to work as foreman for Seaboard Railway after serving as Grand Secretary Treasurer.
Matt Demore

Matt Demore, 1965-1969

- Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1903; did not work as a Machinist until the Depression, and then worked as a maintenance machinist at a company that later became part of General Electric.
- 1935: Joined Local 439 along with his co-workers; became local president in 1936.
- 1938: Became directing Business Representative of District 54 in 1938.
- 1961: Elected to the Executive Council, head of Northeast Territory.
- Member of the Law Committee at five consecutive Grand Lodge Conventions; President of the Ohio State Council of Machinists.
- Utilized the Grand Lodge's UNIVAC III computer to for membership records, mailing lists, strike benefits, and bargaining agreement information storage.
George Preston

George Preston, 1895-1916

- 1868: Born in England, raised in Nottingham.
- 1886: Immigrated to America, joined Knights of Labor.
- 1890: Transferred to the I.A.M.
- 1895: Elected GST of the I.A.M.
- 1916: Suspended as GST, voted out in a special election.
Eugene D. Glover

Eugene D. Glover, 1969-1987

- Born 1922, Jonesboro, Arkansas.
- 1941: Apprenticeship with Universal Match. Company, joined Tool and Die Lodge 688.
- 1942: Served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII
- Post-WWII: returned to Universal, received journeyman papers in 1949.
- Joined McDonnell Douglas and IAM Local 837 after being laid off from Universal.
- 1956: Became Business Representative for the McDonnell District.
- 1965: General Vice President for four years in Midwest Territory before being elected GST.
E. C. Davison

E. C. Davison, 1917-1944

- 1878: Born in Virginia.
- Completed his apprenticeship, joined the IAM, then enlisted as a cavalry man in the Spanish-American War.
- Elected Business Representative of Local Lodge 10 in Richmond, Virginia.
- 1913: Appointed General Organizer by I. P. Johnston.
- 1917: Elected GST.
Tom Ducy

Tom Ducy, 1987-1993

- Born in Fall City, Nebraska into a trade union household.
- Served in the U.S. Coast Gaurd during the Korean Conflict.
- 1950: joined the IAM as a truck mechanic in Denver, Colorado. Assumed various local leadership positions.
- 1956: Elected as full time IAM representative.
- Served as a delegate to the Denver Labor Federation, AFL-CIO and was elected Vice President of the Colorado AFL-CIO.
- 1961: Joined IAM staff in Chicago, Illinois. Part of his job there was to present cases to the National Labor Relations Board.
Eric Peterson

Eric Peterson, 1944-1959

- Born in Sweden, 1894; family immigrated to Rawlins, Wyoming in 1904.
- Began work as a call boy on the Union Pacific (woke the crew men up), then became an apprentice machinist.
- 1911: Joined in the strike against the Harriman lines as an apprentice.
- 1913: Became a member of the IAM in Deer Lodge, Montana.
- 1928: Served on the Resolutions Committee at the Grand Lodge Convention.
- Appointed to a special organizing assignment on the Pennsylvania Railroad, then appointed to Grand Lodge staff, Great Lakes Territory, a few months later.
- 1937: Appointed General Vice President, Northeast territory.
- 1940: Brought to Grand Lodge by I. P. Brown as Resident General Vice President.
Donald E. Wharton

Donald E. Wharton, 1993-2002

- 1955: Joined the IAM, Local 1405 (later Local 1151).
- 1962: Elected Grand Lodge Representative, District Lodge 59.
- 1966: Elected President of the Ohio State Council of Machinists.
- 1968: Appointed to the IAM's International field staff.
- 1972: Appointed Administrative Assistant to the Great Lakes Territory General Vice President.
- 1981: Relocated to International HQ in Washington, D.C. to help run the Organizing Department.
- 1983: Named Executive Assistant to IP Winpisinger
- 1988: Appointed General Vice President.
Elmer E. Walker

Elmer E. Walker, 1959-1965

- 1934: Elected as one of District 9's Business Representatives.
- 1936: Representative at the Grand Lodge Convention, Milwaukee. Served on the Resolutions Committee.
- 1942: Appointed to Grand Lodge staff.
- 1945: Elected General Vice President, assigned to Great Lakes territory.
- 1949: Transferred by I.P. Hayes to Grand Lodge to serve as resident G.V.P.
- Began using electronic record-keeping to keep track of the I.A.M.'s financial records.
Warren Mart

Warren Mart, 2003 -

- 1966: Joined Local 1900, Evansville, Indiana; served as shop steward and president.
- 1980: Elected Directing Business Representative, Lodge 153; also on Mayor's Labor Advisory Board, United Way of Southwest Indiana, and the Evansville Leadership Board.
- 1987: Appointed Special Representative (IAMAW).
- 1988: Elected Vice President of Indiana State AFL-CIO, Vice President of South Indiana Central Labor Council, Secretary-Treasurer and President of Indiana State Council of Machinists.
- 1989: Appointed Grand Lodge Representative.
- 1997: Appointed General Vice President in Eastern Territory.

 

Sources:
- For IP Buffenbarger and GST Wharton (text and images): IAM Journal. IAM Leadership Election Report, Special Ed. 2001.
- For IP Kourpias (text and image) and GST Ducy: Sioux City, Iowa (Siouxland) Lodge 1426 website
- For GST Ducy (text): "I.A.M. Mourns Retired Leader Tom Ducy." International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, Press Release. October 1998.
- For GST Mart (photo and text): Warren Mart info, GOIAM.org
- Images of other IPs: "International Presidents." poster, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
- Images of other GSTs: "General Secretary-Treasurers." poster. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.