Nelson, James, 1903-

James Nelson, labor leader and author, was born in Liverpool, England in 1903 and immigrated to the United States with his family as a child. After receiving a degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., Nelson made his home in Wakefield, Mass. The National Council of Gas and By-Product Coke Workers named Nelson executive secretary/chairman, a position that allowed him to play a key role in the push to create District 50, an industrial union intended to represent workers from all sectors of the chemical, utility, coke, and by-product coke industries. When the United Mine Workers formally established and absorbed District 50 in 1936, the district appointed Nelson as president, a position he held for three years until 1939. After resigning the presidency of District 50, Nelson accepted a position with the Department of Labor as Deputy Regional Director of the Wage and Hour Public Contracts Division, Region One, New England. Nelson held this position for thirty years until his retirement in 1969. In 1955, prior to his retirement, Nelson wrote and published a book about the history of District 50 titled The Mine Workers' District 50. Nelson remained a resident of Wakefield until his death in 1984.