Walter Reuther
Labor union leader and progressive activist (1907-1970) · United States · On the map · Politicians · Died at 62
Walter Philip Reuther was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history.
Walter Reuther is read about 181 times a day, in 22 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 11 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 113 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
People around Walter
Family
Walter ReutherBrothers and sisters
Is this everyone?
Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong.
Correct this familyAlso in Deutsch
Media & music
Photos 12
Sign in Reuther's hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia
The Reuther brothers' busts at the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center in northern Michigan. From left to right, Roy Reuther, Walter Reuther, and Victor Reuther.
Sound car for West Side Local 174 used by Walter Reuther to organize UAW members
Battle of the Overpass, May 26, 1937, Walter Reuther fifth from left, Richard Frankensteen sixth from left
Reuther with President Dwight Eisenhower and other labor leaders at AFL-CIO building dedication, June 4, 1956
Walter Reuther meeting with Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, in October 1949
Eleanor Roosevelt, Walter Reuther, Milton Eisenhower and the Cuban prisoner exchange delegation in Washington, D.C.Awards
About this person
He considered labor movements not as narrow special interest groups but as instruments to advance social justice and human rights in democratic societies. He leveraged the UAW's resources and influence to advocate for workers' rights, civil rights, women's rights, universal health care, public education, affordable housing, environmental stewardship, profit-sharing for employees, and nuclear nonproliferation around the world. He believed in Swedish-style social democracy and societal change through nonviolent civil disobedience. He cofounded the AFL-CIO in 1955 with George Meany. He survived two attempted assassinations, including one at home where he was struck by a 12-gauge shotgun blast fired through his kitchen window. He was the fourth and longest serving president of the UAW, serving from 1946 until his death in 1970.
