William Usery, Jr.
| William Usery Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Secretary of Labor | |
|
In office February 10, 1976 – January 20, 1977 |
|
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | John T. Dunlop |
| Succeeded by | Ray Marshall |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Willie Julian Usery, Jr. December 21, 1923 Hardwick, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 2016 (aged 92) Eatonton, Georgia, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Gussie Mae Smith (1942-2005) Frances Pardee (2006–2016) |
| Education |
Georgia Military College Mercer University |
Willie Julian Usery Jr. (/ˈʌsəriː/ US-ər-ee; December 21, 1923 – December 10, 2016) was a labor union activist and U.S. government political appointee who served as United States Secretary of Labor in the Ford administration.
Although Willie was his birth name, official sources often mistakenly called him "William." For much of his life, Usery was known as "W.J.," although most associates called him "Bill."
Usery was born on December 21, 1923 in Hardwick, Georgia, the son of Willie J. Usery, Sr. and Effie Mae Williamson (later Phillips). He attended Georgia Military College from 1938 to 1941. From 1941 to 1942, he worked as an underwater welder for the J. A. Jones Construction Company in Brunswick, Georgia building Liberty ships. Usery married Gussie Mae Smith in 1942.
With the need for naval welders growing dramatically during World War II, Usery enlisted in the United States Navy. From 1943 to 1946, Usery worked on a U.S. Navy repair ship in the Pacific.
Following World War II, Usery worked as a steamfitter, welder, and machinist in Georgia. He attended Mercer University, but did not graduate.
On March 1, 1952, while working as a machinist at the Armstrong Cork Company, Usery helped co-found Local Lodge 8 (now Local Lodge 918) of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), AFL-CIO. Over the years, he was elected to a series of offices within Local Lodge 8, eventually becoming president of the local union.
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