IUEC Leaders - Past to Present
Throughout its history, the IUEC has been fortunate to have
an outstanding and committed leadership. This has been the case
since the first meeting of the eleven local representatives
in Pittsburgh in 1901. It has been a stable leadership as well.
F. W. Doyle, who became the first President was one of the eleven
original founders in 1901, served in the position with distinction
until 1904. Frank Feeney served from 1904-1905. William Havenstrite
was elected President of the IUEC at the September 1905 Convention.
In July of 1906, the President’s office was declared vacant.
IUEC Vice President P. E. Cryder assumed the duties of the President
until the 1907 election.
Joseph Murphy of New York City served from 1907 to 1916. Frank
Feeney of Philadelphia succeeded President Murphy in that year
and continued to serve again from 1916-1938. Feeney's leadership
led to the Atlantic City Plan and the first standard national
agreement. President Feeney also organized the Elevator Inspection
Bureau in his hometown and served as its chief for four years.
He held the President's position until his death in 1938. In
a testament to his leadership, thousands of people lined the
streets for his funeral and labor leaders from all over America
came to pay their respects to the IUEC leader. He had been President
of the union for 24 years.
John C. MacDonald became President upon the death of Frank
Feeney. He came to international leadership from Boston after
serving as Local No. 4's business agent for 33 years. He served
as a Vice-President of the union from 1903 until he took over
the presidency in 1938. He served until his death in 1955, to
be succeeded by Edward A. Smith from New York City.
Brother Smith had been an IUEC member for 58 years when he
retired from the presidency of the union in 1959 for medical
reasons. The Executive Board conferred upon Brother Smith the
title of "President Emeritus of the International Union
of Elevator Constructors."
First Vice-President Thomas Allen of Pittsburgh filled the
unexpired term of Brother Smith and was President until 1962
when he died of a heart attack while preparing to attend union
negotiations.
John Proctor, a member of Local No. 10 of Washington, D.C.,
served as President from 1962 until 1966. He had previously
served as First Vice-President of the International.
R. Wayne Williams came to national leadership from Local 18
of Los Angeles. Before assuming the presidency, he served as
Regional Director, International Vice-President, Assistant to
the President and International Secretary-Treasurer. Wayne was
president from 1966-1976.
Everett A. Treadway became President at the Kansas City international
convention in 1976. He was a member of Local No. 7 in Baltimore
where he served as Business Agent and Secretary-Treasurer of
the Baltimore Building Trades Council. President Treadway rose
from the ranks of the union to international leadership. He
served as Special Assistant to the President, Secretary-Treasurer
of the International Union, and, at the 1981 convention in Seattle,
he was re-elected by acclamation. President Treadway continued
his tenure as President until his death in 1991.
John N. Russell began serving as General Secretary-Treasurer
in 1976. In 1991, John Russell was elected by the General Executive
Board to fill the unexpired term of Everett Treadway. President
Russell was a member of Local 6, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
was re-elected General President at the 1996 International Convention
in Las Vegas, Nevada until he retired in 1998 due to ill health.
Assistant to the General President Edward C. Sullivan of Boston,
Massachusetts was elected by the General Executive Board to
serve as General President filling the unexpired term of John
N. Russell. President Sullivan had served as a Local No. 4 officer
in Boston, Massachusetts for fifteen years until his election
to the position of the Assistant to the General President at
the 1996 IUEC Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. President Sullivan
is a member of Local No. 4, Boston, Massachusetts and started
in the elevator trade in 1964. General President Sullivan served
as leader of the International Union of Elevator Constructors
until July 2000 when he was elected to the position of President
of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
presiding over fifteen international unions representing three
million workers in the United States and Canada.
The International Union of Elevator Constructors General Executive
Board called a special meeting on July 29, 2000 at the International
office in Columbia, Maryland where they unanimously elected
Assistant to the General President Dana A. Brigham to succeed
Edward C. Sullivan as General President of the International
Union of Elevator Constructors. General President Brigham started
in the elevator industry in 1966 as a member of Local No. 10
in Washington, DC. In 1975, Dana was first elected an officer
of Local No. 10, became a Business Representative for the local
in 1985. He became the Business Manager of Local 10 in 1991,
and also served concurrently as Seventh Vice President of the
International Union of Elevator Constructors as a member of
the General Executive Board. In 1996, Dana was re-elected to
the position of Second Vice President of the International Union
of Elevator Constructors where he held that office until the
General Executive Board elected him to fill the unexpired term
of Edward C. Sullivan as Assistant to the General President.
In 2001, at the IUEC's 28th General Convention, Dana was elected
(unopposed) by the convention delegates as General President.
At the 29th General Convention in 2006, Dana was re-elected
(unopposed) for another five-year term.
