Curran, Joseph

Curran, Joseph (Edwin)

(1906–81) labor leader; born in New York City. A seaman since 1922, he joined the International Seaman's Union (ISU) in 1935. He led a strike in defiance of the ISU (1936) and led 35,000 members of the ISU into his new National Maritime Union (NMU), which he served as president (1937–73). The NMU's membership grew to 100,000 during World War II. He was also vice-president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (1940–73).