Alvanley Johnston
American labor leader
Alvanley Johnston (12 May 1875 – 17 September 1951) was a Canadian / American locomotive engineer who became head of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), a union that covered the United States and Canada, holding the title of Grand Chief Engineer from 1925 to 1950. During his tenure the Brotherhood recovered from financial problems, weathered the Great Depression and World War II, and held out for shorter hours and higher wages in a nationwide strike in 1946.
Early years
Alvanley Johnston was born on 12 May 1875 in Seeley's Bay, Ontario. The county borders on New York State.
His parents were David and Annie (Jarrell) Johnston, both citizens of the United States. He attended elementary school in Seeley's Bay, then in 1888 his parents took him to the United States. In 1890 he returned to Ontario to attend business college at Brockville. He left the college in 1891.
On 18 September 1892 he was hired by the Great Northern Railway as a callboy.
He also worked as a wiper, and then was a locomotive engineer from 1897 to 1909.
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