Labor Peacemaker: The Life and Works of Father Leo C. Brown, S.J.

Scarce cloth hardcover, xiv + 162 pages, b&w photos in text, index, NOT ex-library. Interior in attractive condition, with limited minor wear. Pages and endpapers are clean with unmarked text, firm binding, free of inscriptions and stamps. A touch of age-spotting on outer page edges. Shelfworn dust jacket: extensive scuffing and white marks, edge-nicks and small tears (most have been reinforced on the inside), a small loss to the front lower spine corner, faint dusty & age marks. -- For almost four decades (1943-1978) Father Leo C. Brown, S.J. was a force for peaceful settlements of labor disputes. As priest, scholar, arbitrator, and mediator, he was part of the history of labor relations in the U.S. during the most exciting and dynamic evolution of the labor movement and Catholic social teaching. This biography traces the development of arbitration and mediation as a recognized profession - viewed through the eyes of a dedicated practitioner who operated from a solid foundation of scholarship, wisdom, and good will. Father Brown worked in three major spheres of influence: as director of the Jesuit Institute of Social Order, as professor of economics at Saint Louis University, and as full-time arbitrator. All these activities were tempered by his pastoral dedication and humble ministry. This book, showing the growth of his techniques, is of value not only to his hundreds of friends who loved Leo Brown, but also to scholars and students interested in the art of labor dispute settlement. This is essentially Father Leo Brown's own book, for much of the material is taken verbatim from the memoirs be wrote during his last illness late in 1977, while he was hospitalized for cancer. He personally chose Dr. Gruenberg to edit his manuscript. He also authorized her to find a fitting place for his arbitration files. The Institute of Jesuit Sources is happy to publish this account of a Jesuit priest and scholar so effective in labor relations. The book will be an inspiration to young Jesuits and others. It presents an example of the commitment, now long-standing, which the Society of Jesus has to the cause of social justice. Further, it contains a well rounded history of the Institute of Social Order and its contributions.…