Ed Roth was a member of the United Automobile Workers of America (UAW), District 65 (now known as the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America). In 1940, he joined UAW's Camera Club, which originated in 1938 as a recreational group for UAW's amateur photographers. Since participants in the club often attended and photographed strikes and other union events, many Camera Club members came to serve as staff photographers for the union's newspaper, Union Voice .
Roth became president of the Camera Club in 1941 and served until around 1948, but was most active with the club during World War II. He also worked as a photographer outside of his association with UAW. After leaving UAW, District 65, Roth worked in the construction industry. He was part of the crew that worked on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which was built between 1959 and 1964, and took photographs of the bridge as it was being constructed.
From the guide to the Ed Roth Photographs, circa 1940s-1998, (Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive)
