author
Cornelius Shea
1863–1920
A rough-edged early labor leader, he helped shape the new Teamsters union at a time when American organizing was still finding its footing. His life mixed union power, public controversy, and a dramatic fall from influence.
3 Audiobooks
Look out for paint: A farce comedy in three acts
by Cornelius Shea
In the Depths of the Dark Continent; or, The Vengeance of Van Vincent
by Cornelius Shea
In the Wonderful Land of Hez; or, The Mystery of the Fountain of Youth
by Cornelius Shea
About the author
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cornelius P. Shea became a teamster as a young man and rose quickly through local union ranks in Boston and Chicago. In 1903 he was elected the first general president of the newly formed International Brotherhood of Teamsters, putting him at the center of one of the country’s growing labor movements.
His years in leadership were turbulent. Shea was known as a forceful organizer, but his career was also marked by bitter strikes, internal union fights, and repeated legal trouble. He left the Teamsters presidency in 1907, and later years brought more scandal than stability.
Remembered today as a complicated figure, Shea stands out as one of the people who helped build the early Teamsters while also showing how closely labor politics, personal ambition, and corruption could collide in that era.