William N. Doak

William Doak
3rdUnited 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	(1882-12-12)December 12, 1882 Rural Retreat, Virginia,U.S.
Died	October 23, 1933(1933-10-23)(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 theBrotherhood of Railroad Trainmenand served asSecretary of Labor.He died ofcardiovascular diseaseinMcLean, Virginiasix months after retiring.

Biography

Early life

Doak was born inRural Retreat, Virginia,on December 12, 1882, the son of Elizabeth (néeDutton) and Canaro Draton Doak. He attended from Virginia public and business, and was aMethodist.Doak married Emma Maria Cricher, on October 15, 1908. Doak served as the Vice-President of theBrotherhood of Railroad Trainmenfrom 1916 to 1928.

Department of Labor

On December 9, 1930, Doak was appointed by President Hoover to serve asSecretary of Labor,succeeding Senator James J. Davis.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, theBureau of Immigrationlaunched intensiveraidsto 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.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.

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

Doak retired at the end of President Hoover's administration on March 4, 1933. He died ofcardiovascular diseaseinMcLean, Virginia,on October 23, 1933. He is interred inBlacklick, Virginia.

See also

• Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
• Davis-Bacon Act

External links

• U.S. Department of Labor BiographyArchived2014-09-01 at theWayback Machine