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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
OPA News Release: [12/17/2008]
Contact Name: Sharon Worthy
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
Release Number: 08-1845-NAT
Leonard F. Woodcock and John Willard Marriott inducted into Labor Hall of Fame
WASHINGTON — Today U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao hosted the 20th Labor Hall of Fame induction ceremony of honorees Leonard F. Woodcock, former president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and first U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, and John Willard "Bill" Marriott, the founder of Marriott International Inc.
"These honorees were accomplished leaders who overcame adversity and made a positive difference in many ways and for many people," Secretary Chao said. "Mr. Woodcock was devoted to improving the lives of union members and was active in civil rights, education, health care and on behalf of missing American servicemen in Vietnam before he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China in 1979. Mr. Marriott built a company that employs hundreds of thousands of workers and was one of the very first to offer health care benefits because he believed that taking good care of workers is not just the right thing to do but a smart management strategy, too."
Leonard Woodcock was born in 1911 in Providence, Rhode Island. He spent his early years in Germany where his father was assigned by his employer to install machinery at a factory. During World War I, he and his family were separated but reunited in England in 1918 where Leonard attended Chipsey preparatory school for the next eight years.
The Woodcocks returned to America where Leonard pursued college and worked a series of low-wage jobs that opened his eyes to the working conditions of the time. He became a labor organizer during the Great Depression and continued with his passion to improve the lives of America's workers. Woodcock was a tough, shrewd and highly successful union negotiator, who was known as a well-prepared labor intellectual. This preparation and hard work helped him rise through the ranks of the UAW, beginning in 1940 when he accepted a position as staff representative for UAW local unions in western Michigan. Over time he became the obvious successor of Walter P. Reuther, who died in a plane crash in 1970.
During Woodcock's presidency, UAW negotiations with General Motors (GM) failed and on Sept. 14, 1970, he led GM workers on a costly sixty-seven day strike, but in the end the UAW signed a contract restoring uncapped cost of living and other protections regardless of a worker's physical age. During the late 70s, Woodcock turned his attention to public policy and, on behalf of President Jimmy Carter, he led the primary negotiations to establish diplomatic relations with China. In 1979, Woodcock became the first U.S. Ambassador to China, serving until 1981. Never one to sit idle, Woodcock's final career began in 1982 as an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Michigan. He died at his Ann Arbor home on Jan. 16, 2001.
John Willard "Bill" Marriott, the second of eight children, was born at Marriott Settlement, Utah, in 1900. His entrepreneurial spirit and skills were evident at an early age. Marriott began his first
successful business venture at age 13, enlisting his young siblings to help grow lettuce on the family farm. He made $2,000 that summer and the next year his father gave him responsibility for the sale of 3,000 sheep. Marriott continued his entrepreneurial track by supporting himself with assorted jobs, including a regular summer stint selling woolen underwear to lumberjacks in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1927, Marriott began what would become the genesis of his hospitality business, securing the A&W franchise for Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Md.; and Richmond, Va. From his initial Washington, D.C., franchise of nine-stools at 3128 14th Street, NW, to his death in 1985, Marriott pursued his company's expansion methodically and energetically. His success would not have been possible without his wife, the former Alice Sheets. They were married on June 9, 1927, followed by a honeymoon that consisted of a long, hot, bumpy drive in Marriott's Model T Ford from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C., where they opened their first root beer stand together, later called the Hot Shoppe.
It is said that Marriott rarely rested for 58 years — breathing, eating, living and dreaming Marriott almost 24 hours per day. The corporation grew internationally, with Marriott's hands-on management, but he always focused on the employees and the customers. Marriott constantly advised his managers to "take care of your employees and they'll take care of your customers."
Never one to rest on his laurels, Marriott was a faithful servant to his church and his country. He gave time and money to support many causes, including those emphasizing education. Marriott also chaired two presidential inaugural committees and at the request of President Richard M. Nixon, Marriott organized a special "Honor America Day" in 1970.
The Labor Hall of Fame established in 1989 by Friends of the Department and managed since 2000 by the Department of Labor honors posthumously those Americans who have contributed to the field of labor, including industry leaders, public officials and the American worker. The Labor Hall of Fame is located in the North Plaza of the U.S. Department of Labor and is open to the public.
Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
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