J. Davitt McAteer Papers regarding Mining Safety
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4219
Papers of J. Davitt McAteer documenting his advocacy for mining and other occupational safety. A lawyer and expert on mine safety and health issues, he served as an Assistant Labor Secretary for the Mine Safety and Health Administration from 1993 to 2000. McAteer was also appointed lead investigator into the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster by Governor Manchin in 2010. The collection includes accident investigation reports, conference files, correspondence, health and safety manuals, mine disaster historical files, press clippings, publications, and reports, among other material.
Topics include mine disasters (such as the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster [2010], Aracoma Alma Mine Accident [2006], Farmington Mine Disaster [1968], etc.), occupational safety (including black lung and white lung, accidents, United States rules and regulations, etc.), international occupational safety and regulations, project proposals (including a trip to South Africa to work with the National Union of Mineworkers), mining history, and other similar topics.
Series Include:
Series 1. Papers Arranged by Subject (Boxes 1-49), 1903-1912, 1932-2020
Series 2. Mine Disasters (Boxes 50-59b), 1869, 1907-1936, 1972-2015
Series 3. Books (Boxes 60a-69), 1906–2015
Series 4. Audio/Visual (Boxes 70-73), 1973–2015
Series 5. Artifacts (Boxes 74a-81), 1918, 1960s-2010
Series 6. Oversize, General (Box 82 and unboxed), late 19th century-2010
Series 7. Oversize, Maps (Boxes 83-85), 1960–1972
Series 8. Oversize, Upper Big Branch Maps (Boxes 86-110), 2005–2010
Series 9. Closed Files (Boxes 111-115), 2002–2012
Series 10. Series 10. Addendum of 2021 July 16, 1900s-2000s
English
Special access restriction applies to boxes 59b and 111-115.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
J. Davitt McAteer has devoted much of his professional efforts to mine health and safety issues, including efforts to enact the landmark 1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Acts. In the 1970s, Mr. McAteer led the safety and health programs of the United Mine Workers and founded the Occupational Safety and Health Law Center. He is a former assistant secretary for Mine Safety and Health at the United States Department of Labor (1993-2000) and also served nearly two years as the Acting Solicitor for the Department of Labor. He has also served as Vice President of Sponsored Programs and Interim President at Wheeling Jesuit University, where he lead several national centers that impact economic development, education and mine safety.
In April 2010, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin appointed Mr. McAteer to conduct an investigation into the explosion that killed 29 miners at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Governor Manchin also appointed Mr. McAteer to investigate the Sago Mine Disaster and the Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine Fire in 2006. Two of the produced reports included recommendations to improve mine safety in West Virginia and across the nation.
Mr. McAteer is the author of Monongah: The Tragic Story of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster, The Worst Industrial Accident in U.S. History, which was awarded the 2008 Bronze Prize for history in the Independent Publishers Book Awards. He is the recipient of the 2008 David P. Rall Award for Advocacy in Public Health by the American Public Health Association.
(Adapted from "Coal: Powering Our Future." Views and Visions: A publication of Bowles Rice McDavid Graff and Love LLP. Summer 2010. Accessed January 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20180823180538/https://www.bowlesrice.com/media/vision/23_vv_Summer10_LR.pdf.)
178.2 Linear Feet (180 ft. 3.3 in. (72 records cartons, 15 in. each); (9 records cartons, 17 in. each); (27 map boxes, 6 in. each); (1 map box, 5 in.); (1 map box, 6.5 in.); (7 document cases, 2.5 in. each); (6 document cases, 5 in. each); (10 flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each); (1 flat storage box, 2.5 in.); (1 flat storage box, 3 in.); (2 flat storage boxes, 3.5 in. each); (1 flat storage box, 4 in.); (3 flat storage boxes, 5 in. each); (3 artifacts boxes, 6.5 in. each); (1 oversize artifact box, 12 in.); (4 unboxed oversize posters, 0.5 in. total); (12 unboxed oversize mining implements, 48 ft. 10.25 in. total); (1 unboxed oversize office chair, 1 ft. 7.5 in.))
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository