Thomas H. O'Shea

Who is Thomas H. O'Shea?

Thomas H. O'Shea was an Irish revolutionary and one of the founders of the Transport Workers Union of America, subway workers in New York City that expanded to represent members in other forms of transit nationwide. O'Shea was appointed the first President of the TWU in 1934 and later ousted and replaced by long time TWU President Michael J. Quill. O'Shea subsequently spent many years battling reported Communism within the union culminating in his 1940 testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities chaired by Rep. Martin Dies of Texas and commonly referred to as the Dies Committee at the time.