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Clothing and Accessories
Men's Clothing
Uniforms ➔ Occupational Jacket
Identifier:
190057Description:
This jacket is from the Grand Rapids Fire Department and was worn around the 1960s by Leon W. Williams. It is made of navy blue wool and has a Grand Rapids Fire Department patch on the proper left shoulder. There are two gold stripes on each sleeve cuff and a deputy chief badge on the proper left breast. This jacket had four objects in the pocket that include a nameplate, a gold star, and two collar devices.Date:
circa 1960Materials:
WoolCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of Grand Rapids Fire DepartmentRelated Entities:
Grand Rapids Fire Department (donor)The Grand Rapids Fire Department was founded in 1849 after the Wendell residence on Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue burned down with nearly all its contents. Citizens approached the village council and demanded a fire brigade be established. That fall, Alert Fire Company Number 1 was established with twenty-eight members.
Since 1849, the Grand Rapids Fire Department has grown to include eleven stations with 221 members across the city. Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (is related to)
Alternate names: ACTWU, ACWA, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, UNITE, UNITE HERE
The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) was founded in 1914 and was a labor union from the United States. It helped found the Congress of Industrial Organizations. In 1976 it merged with the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA) and formed the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU). In 1995 the ACTWU merged with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union to form the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). In 2004 UNITE merged with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) to create UNITE HERE. Leon Williams (used by)
Leon Williams was born in 1924 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He served in the United States Army during World War II and was captured in Germany at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He was released in May 1945. Williams joined the Grand Rapids Fire Department in 1948 and served until he retired as Fire Chief in 1986. He passed away in 2017.
