William N. Doak

William Doak
William Doak
3rd United States Secretary of Labor
	In office; December 9, 1930 – March 4, 1933
President	Herbert Hoover
Preceded by	James J. Davis
Succeeded by	Frances Perkins
Personal details
Born	December 12, 1882; Rural Retreat, Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 23, 1933 (aged 50); McLean, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Emma Cricher

William Nuckles Doak (December 12, 1882 – October 23, 1933) was an American labor leader. He was the Vice-President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and served as Secretary of Labor. He died of cardiovascular disease in McLean, Virginia six months after retiring.

Biography

Early life

Doak was born in Rural Retreat, Virginia, on December 12, 1882, the son of Elizabeth (née Dutton) and Canaro Draton Doak. He attended from Virginia public and business, and was a Methodist.^{[clarification needed]} Doak married Emma Maria Cricher, on October 15, 1908. Doak served as the Vice-President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen from 1916 to 1928.

Department of Labor

On December 9, 1930, Doak was appointed by President Hoover to serve as Secretary of Labor, succeeding Senator James J. Davis.^[1] He encouraged the passing of the Davis-Bacon Act, which determined the prevailing wage to be paid on a government contract or federally funded construction project.

Mexican repatriation

After President Herbert Hoover appointed Doak as secretary of labor, the Bureau of Immigration launched intensive raids to identify immigrants liable for deportation. Doak believed that removal of undocumented workers would reduce relief expenditures and free jobs for native-born citizens during the Great Depression.^[2] Though there is no evidence that Doak made any effort to single out any specific ethnic group, this resulted in the targeting of the Mexican community.^[3]

In 1931, the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, (the Wickersham Commission) found the methods employed by Doak's underlings to be unconstitutional.^[4]

Doak retired at the end of President Hoover's administration on March 4, 1933. He died of cardiovascular disease in McLean, Virginia, on October 23, 1933. He is interred in Blacklick, Virginia.

References

^ The Americans Peoples Encyclopedia. 1955.
^ "Digital History".
^ "Mexican Repatriation: History". Archived from the original on 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
^ "Immigrants: The Last Time America Sent Her Own Packing". 27 July 2006.

External links

U.S. Department of Labor Biography Archived 2014-09-01 at the Wayback Machine

Party political offices
Preceded by J. R. Pollard	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Virginia (Class 2) 1924	Vacant Title next held by George Rohken
Political offices
Preceded by James J. Davis	United States Secretary of Labor 1930–1933	Succeeded by Frances Perkins