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Patrick D. Conroy, labour leader, diplomat (born 30 August 1899 in Baillieston, Scotland; died 8 April 1988 in Ottawa, ON). Pat Conroy was member of the executive with the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL) from 1941 to 1951. He also served as labour attaché to the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1952 to 1972. (See also Diplomatic and Consular Representations.)
Early Life and Career
Pat Conroy began to work as a miner at 13 and joined the British Mineworkers' Federation. (See also Mining.) In 1919 he immigrated to Canada, settling in Drumheller, Alberta. He worked in the coal mines and joined the United Mine Workers of America. After a tour of the United States, he returned to Alberta and from 1922 held several union positions until he became vice-president of the Western Canadian District 18. (See also Coal Mining; Mining Work Force.)
In 1940 when the CCL was founded, Conroy became its vice-president and the next year its full-time secretary-treasurer. In 1949 he helped found the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. (See also Labour Organization.) In 1951 he suddenly resigned from the CCL position because of differences with his colleagues on the executive. As a dynamic leader, he wished the congress to play a larger role. In 1952 he was appointed labour attaché to the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C., a post he held until his retirement in 1972. (See also Diplomatic and Consular Representations.)
