Charles P. Fahey

Charles Patrick Fahey (February 1862 – March 4, 1915) was an American labor leader and politician. As a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for Davidson County, he sponsored pro-labor legislation for women and children. His bills also led to the racial segregation of streetcars in Nashville, and to the requirement of a medical prescription to purchase cocaine.

Charles P. Fahey
Personal details
Born
Charles Patrick Fahey

February 1862[1]
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMarch 4, 1915(1915-03-04) (aged 55)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Spouse(s)Kate Gorey
Children1 son

Early life

Fahey was born in 1862 in Nashville, Tennessee,[2][3] to Irish immigrants Patrick Fahey and Katherine Ward.[4] He was educated in St. Louis, Missouri.[2][3]

Career

Fahey began his career in the leather industry.[2][3] He became a labor leader, first as a member or delegate of the Leatherworkers' Union, the Tennessee State Federation of Labor.[2] He was also a delegate to the Southern Labor Congress and the American Federation of Labor.[2]

Fahey served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives twice,[2] in the 52nd and 54th general assemblies,[5][6] representing Davidson County.[7] Fahey sponsored pro-labor legislations, like "the first child labor law", "another measure reducing the hours of working women in the state", and "another bill making all stores and shops of all kind provide stools for their women employees when not busy."[8] In 1901, he introduced Bill Number 80 to ban the informal sale of cocaine; instead it had to be purchased with a prescription from a physician.[9] The bill passed both the state house and senate.[9] Fahey was also in favor of racial segregation.[7] In January 1905, he introduced Bill Number 87 "to separate white and colored passengers on streetcars."[7] His effort was successful, and the streetcars were segregated by July of the same year.[7]

Fahey resumed his involvement with the labor movement after leaving office. He attended at least the 30th Annual Convention in St. Louis, Missouri in November 1910[10] and the 33rd Annual Convention of the AFL in Seattle, Washington in November, 1913.[11] In 1913, he was nominated to serve as the member of the Tennessee Senate for Davidson County, but he decided not to run.[3] Instead, he was "closely identified with legislators in advocating laws beneficial to the workers and was recognized as an authority on all questions pertaining to labor."[3]

Personal life and death

Fahey married Kate Gorey; they had a son,[2] who died as an infant.[3] Fahey attended services at St. Columba Church, a Catholic church in East Nashville.[2] They resided at 703 Main Street in Nashville, Tennessee.[3] His wife predeceased him in 1904.[3]

Fahey died of heart disease on March 4, 1915 in Nashville.[2][3] He was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Nashville.[2] Shortly after his death, the Nashville Trades and Labor Council passed a resolution in his honor.[8]

References
  1. 1900 United States Federal Census
  2. "DEATH OF CHAS. P. FAHEY". The Leather Workers' Journal. 16–17: 238–239. 1913. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  3. "CHARLES P. FAHEY, PROMINENT LABOR MAN, PASSES AWAY. Heart Diseases Causes Sudden Death at an Early Hour Thursday Morning. WIDELY KNOWN HERE. Chairman of Legislative Committee of Tennessee Federation of Labor". The Tennessean. March 5, 1912. p. 12. Retrieved December 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958
  5. "Tennessee House of Representatives 52nd General Assembly". Tennessee State Capitol. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  6. "Tennessee House of Representatives 54th General Assembly". Tennessee State Capitol. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  7. Wynn, Linda T. "NASHVILLE'S STREETCAR BOYCOTT (1905-1907)". Tennessee State University Library. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  8. "TRIBUTE TO MEMORY OF CHAS. P. FAHEY PAID BY FRIENDS. Meeting of Trades and Labor Council Turned Into Memorial Service". The Tennessean. March 29, 1915. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Foster, Jeffrey Clayton (Spring 1996). "The Rocky Road to a "Drug Free Tennessee": A History of the Early Regulation of Cocaine and the Opiates, 1897-1913". Journal of Social History. 29 (3): 547–564. doi:10.1353/jsh/29.3.547. JSTOR 3788945.
  10. Labor, American Federation of (21 December 2017). "Report of Proceedings of the ... Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor ..." Retrieved 21 December 2017 – via Google Books.
  11. Convention, American Federation of Labor (21 December 2017). "Report of Proceedings of the ... Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor". The Federation. Retrieved 21 December 2017 – via Google Books.
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