DEMORE, MATTHEW (Apr. 1903-18 Mar. 1976), a labor leader active in the Internatl. Assoc. of Machinists for 4 decades, was born and raised in LITTLE ITALY, son of Dominick and Carmella (DeBaise) DeMore. He quit school at 16 to work as a machinist's apprentice for the Michigan Central Railroad in Detroit. He returned to Cleveland in 1920 to work for the maintenance department at General Electric, a position he held until 1926 when he became active in the fledgling IAM. Within 3 years, he headed a reform slate of officers on a platform to streamline the operations of District 54, which included Cleveland. Under his leadership, the district was practically free of strikes, and membership jumped from 4,500 to 6,000. He led the district as president from 1938-61. While DeMore participated in strikes, he advocated them only as a last resort. He was regarded as fair and honest, leading to his appointment to many government boards. In 1946, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent FRANCES P. BOLTON† for Congress. He was vice-president of the Ohio and Cleveland AFL-CIOs, and director for the State Council for Machinists. In 1961, DeMore was elected an international vice-president of the IAM and moved to New York. Within 3 years, he was a regional vice-president at the IAM Washington office, and was elected general secretary-treasurer in 1965. When his 4-year term expired, DeMore devoted his time to the Natl. Council of Senior Citizens and other activities for seniors. He and his wife, Mary, had 5 children: Dorothy, Marie, Delores, Alice, and Matthew. DeMore died in Washington, D.C. and was buried in Cleveland's All Soul's Cemetery.

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