Since county incorporation in 1899, the Nassau County Republican Party has identified with the moderate wing of the party. A key component of its moderate views lies in its support of workers and organized labor. This dissertation describes the evolution of the partnership between organized labor and the Nassau Republican Party and shows how organized labor contributed to the emergence of a strong political Republican machine. Support for organized labor became necessary to the survival and success of the Nassau County Republicans. At the same time, I argue, organized labor thrived in Nassau County in part because of its partnership with moderate Republicans. This mutually beneficial interaction continued into the twenty-first century, maintaining the Nassau County Republican Party as moderates even as the national GOP has moved to the extreme right.
Historians and scholars have studied the history of the Nassau County Republican Party and its rise as a powerful political machine. Little has been written, however, about the Long Island labor movement or its role in shaping the character of local or national politics. This dissertation places organized labor at the center of the story of moderate Republicanism in Nassau County. It relies primarily on local newspaper coverage, union records and two dozen oral history interviews with Nassau County politicians, union leaders and activists.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
History
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Republicanism
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Labor unions
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_9458
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (243 pages : illustrations)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Lillian Dudkiewicz-Clayman
Subject (authority = lcsh/lcnaf)
Geographic
Nassau County (N.Y.)
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
School of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10001600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
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