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. Wheeling Jesuit University Files (Boxes 111a-114), 2002–2012
Series 10. Addendum of 2021 July 16 (Boxes 116-120), 1900s-2013
Series 11. Addendum of 2022 June 20 (Boxes 122-131), 1920s-1998
Series 12. Addendum of 2021 August 12, Miner's Shirt (Box 132), circa 1978
Series 13. Addendum of 2021 December 21, Letter (Box 59a, folder 46), 2017 May 16
Series 14. Addendum of 2022 August 01, Letters (Box 127, folder 18), 1971 January 22 to 1973 February 21, undated
Special access restrictions apply to boxes 59b and 121. Box 59b is restricted for 75 years from date of creation (thru 2086). Box 121 is restricted for 75 years from date of creation (latest 2086), except for the health records which will be open after 100 years of creation (2086 and 3011), per WVRHC policy, which is as follows:
“Records containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that do not have separate donor restrictions will be restricted until the death of the donor, assumed to be 75 years from date of record creation. Users may complete the Agreement for the Use of Restricted Materials to request access to these materials prior to the expiration of the restriction.
The WVRHC restricts medical records in all collections, regardless of whether that collection was created by a covered entity, according to HIPAA Privacy Rule guidelines. Records will be restricted 100 years from the date of creation unless an individual grants permission to access the record or the WVRHC is given proof of death that occurred in excess of 50 years prior to the date of request. Researchers collecting summary data may be granted limited access to personal medical information if they submit an Access Request Form and are approved.”
Part of this collection is stored offsite. Please make an appointment before visiting.
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.)
192.77 Linear Feet (82 records cartons, 15 in. each); (10 records cartons, 17 in. each); (27 map boxes, 6 in. each); (1 map box, 5 in.); (1 map box, 6.5 in.); (6 document cases, 2.5 in. each); (6 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 document case, 4 in.); (7 flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each); (3 flat storage boxes, 2 in.); (1 flat storage box, 2.5 in.); (2 flat storage boxes, 3.5 in. each); (3 flat storage boxes, 5 in. each); (3 flat storage boxes, 4 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.)
English
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/
Gift of McAteer, J. Davitt, 2017-2022.
Due to returning material to the donor, boxes 80a-c and 115 are no longer in the collection.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository