David Montgomery (historian)

David Montgomery (December 1, 1927 – December 2, 2011) was a Farnam Professor of History at Yale University. Montgomery was considered one of the foremost academics specializing in United States labor history and wrote extensively on the subject. Along with David Brody and Herbert Gutman, he is credited with founding the field of "new labor history" in the U.S.

Following a stint in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from which he was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant, Montgomery entered undergraduate school at Swarthmore College. He graduated in 1950 with Highest Honors and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

Over the next 10 years, Montgomery worked as a machinist—first in New York City and later in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was as a machinist that Montgomery became involved in union activity as an active member of the United Electrical Workers, the International Association of Machinists, and the Teamsters. He held numerous positions, including shop steward, legislative committee member, and local executive board member.

It was also at this time, in 1951 or 1952, that Montgomery became a member of the Communist Party, USA. The party's positions on international issues, racial justice and social unionism led Montgomery to join. He was active with the party in New York City and briefly in St. Paul. He left the party around 1957. Montgomery's experience in the Communist Party clearly influenced his research interest in labor radicalism, among other issues, throughout his scholarly career. It was while Montgomery was a labor organizer among machinists in St. Paul, Minnesota that he may have been repeatedly targeted by the FBI.

...
Wikipedia