James J. Davis

James John Davis ( born October 27, 1873 as James John Davies in Tredegar, Wales, † November 22, 1947 in Takoma Park, Maryland ) was an American politician ( Republican). He belonged to the U.S. Cabinet from 1921 to 1930 as Minister of Labor and represented the state of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate.

Life

British-born James John Davies emigrated eight years old with his parents to the United States, where the family first settled in Pittsburgh, and later in Sharon. There he completed an apprenticeship in a steel plant, which earned him his nickname Iron Puddler (or Puddler Jim); published in 1922 his autobiography should then bear the title The Iron Puddler.

In 1893 he moved to Elwood, Indiana, where until 1902 he worked as a municipal official from 1898. From 1903 to 1907 he was employed by the Madison County, before he returned to Pittsburgh. During this time his last name was Americanized to Davis, although he later always signed with Davies. He was married and the father of five children.

Policy

After the Republican victory in the presidential election in 1920, the new U.S. President Warren G. Harding appointed him as Minister of Labour in his cabinet. Davis retained the post after Harding's untimely death under his successor Calvin Coolidge; as he remained after the election of Herbert Hoover as president in 1928 in office. He is one of only three U.S. ministers who conducted the same Ministry under three different presidents. The others were Minister of Agriculture James Wilson and Treasury Andrew W. Mellon.

The attention of Minister Davis was mainly due to immigration, which was at that time the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour. He called on the United States Border Patrol to life and proposed restrictions on immigration quotas. At the urging of the iron and steel workers working shaft back, he managed to convince the U.S. Steel of departure from the twelve-hour working day.

On December 2, 1930 James Davis resigned his ministerial post after he had been elected for Pennsylvania in the United States Senate. During his time in the Senate until 1945, continuing, he was responsible among other things for the Davis - Bacon Act, legislation that required the federal government to pay fixed wages for public construction projects. He missed the 1944 re-election and retired the following year from the Congress of.

Three years after the end of his political career, died of a heart attack at Davis. He was buried in Pittsburgh.