Guide to the Leonard Woodcock Papers LP001053 Table of Contents Summary Information .................................................................................................................................... 3 History ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Scope and Content ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Arrangement ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Administrative Information ............................................................................................................................ 9 Related Materials ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Controlled Access Headings ........................................................................................................................ 11 - Page 2 - Guide to the Leonard Woodcock Papers LP001053 Summary Information Repository: Walter P. Reuther Library Creator: Woodcock, Leonard Creator - ivr: Oksenberg, Michel Creator: Woodcock, Sharon Title: Leonard Woodcock Papers ID: LP001053 Date [inclusive]: 1911-2008 Date [bulk]: bulk Physical Description: 38.5 Linear Feet (66 MB, 5 OS). Includes 78 audiocassettes and 37 printed transcripts. Physical Description: 46.05 Megabytes (138 files). Includes WAVs and MP3s. Physical Location: 3W-J-2(5), 2W-D-5(6), 2W-E-1(6-9) Language of the English Material: Language of the Material is mostly in English, with some Chinese. Material: Abstract: Leonard Woodcock was a longtime labor figure who rose to the level of President of the UAW in 1970 and held the position until 1977. He then embarked on a renowned diplomatic career, first leading a mission to recover POW's and remains of those missing in action in Vietnam in 1977, and then serving as Chief of the US Liaison Office to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While in China, he negotiated with PRC leaders to establish full diplomatic relations between China and the US, officially achieved in late 1978. President Carter appointed Woodcock as the nation’s first ambassador to the PRC in 1979. After leaving the State Department, Woodcock would become a professor at the University of Michigan and was invited around the world to lecture on Sino-American relations and the labor movement. The Leonard Woodcock Papers primarily cover the subject’s time spent in China and his various China-related activities. The earliest of these materials document his efforts working for the US government in Beijing, though also included are records related to visits made to China in the following years to speak on Sino-American relations. Other records reflect Woodcock’s later career as a renowned Sinologist, teaching courses at the University of Michigan and guest lecturing around the nation. Besides Woodcock’s time in China, other - Page 3- Guide to the Leonard Woodcock Papers LP001053 topics included are materials from his time as president of the UAW, general correspondence, and serving on the Board of Governors at Wayne State University. Complementing the manuscript materials on Woodcock's diplomatic career in China are 37 oral history interviews on this topic conducted between him and fellow Sinologist Michel Oksenberg. Citation Style "Leonard Woodcock Papers, Box [#], Folder [#], Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University." For the oral histories: "Leonard Woodcock Oral History, [Interview Date], Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University" ^ Return to Table of Contents History Leonard Freel Woodcock (1911-2001) was an iconic union leader and international diplomat, most notably serving as President of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the first American ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Woodcock’s family moved to Germany and then England before eventually settling in Detroit, Michigan in 1926. He attended secondary school in the United Kingdom but began university in the States, enrolling at Wayne State University (then called Detroit City College). Dropping out of college due to the economic struggles of the Great Depression in 1933, Woodcock became a machine assembler at the Detroit Gear and Machine Division of Borg-Warner Corporation. This led to the beginning of his active career with the labor movement, where he helped form the AFL Federal Labor Union at his workplace. The AFL Federal Labor Union developed into a section of the UAW, and Woodcock would eventually go to work for the union as an administrative assistant for International President Walter P. Reuther in 1946. Woodcock rose in prominence at the UAW, becoming a member of the International Executive Board as Regional Director of Western and Northern Michigan in 1947 and serving as International Vice-President of the UAW from 1955-1970. Other positions he held at that time within the UAW included leading the Agricultural Implement Department, Aerospace Department, and the General Motors Department. After the passing of Reuther in 1970, Woodcock was elected as the President by the executive board of the UAW. He was re-elected as President in 1972 and 1974 before he finally retired from the position in May 1977. He was designated as International President Emeritus that same year. - Page 4- Guide to the Leonard Woodcock Papers LP001053 Woodcock began his career in international relations traveling the world as President of the World Automotive Council of the International Metal Workers’ Federation from 1970 to 1977. President Jimmy Carter then chose Woodcock to head a Presidential Commission to Hanoi regarding American soldiers missing in action. This led to his appointment as Chief of the US Liaison Office to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in July 1977. During his tenure, Woodcock led negotiations with the PRC to establish for the first time full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two governments. Normalization was achieved between Woodcock and Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping on December 15, 1978. When it came time to appoint the first American ambassador to the PRC, President Carter again turned to Leonard Woodcock. He officially became ambassador after Senate approval in February of 1979. He held the position until 1981. Other notable accomplishments and positions held by Woodcock include Chairman of the Board of Governors of Wayne State University, member of the Executive and Central Committees for the International Metalworkers’ Federation, and professor of political science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is the recipient of 17 honorary degrees from American universities and colleges. Leonard Woodcock had three children with Loula Martin, whom he married in 1941. They eventually divorced and he later remarried Sharon Tuohy in 1978, an American nurse he met while serving in China. Woodcock passed away on January 16, 2001, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1911: Born in Providence, RI. Family soon moves to Europe. 1927: Family moves to Detroit. Woodcock attends Detroit City College, now Wayne State University. 1933: Drops out of school due to the Great Depression and begins work at the Borg-Warner Corporation’s Detroit Gear and Machine Division. 1940: Becomes UAW staff member. 1941: Marries Loula Martin, having three children with her. They later divorce. 1946: Becomes UAW president Walter P. Reuther’s administrative assistant, resigning a year later to become a regional director in the organization. 1955: Becomes International Vice President of the UAW. 1959-1972: Elected to the Wayne State University’s Board of Governors. Elected Chairman five times. 1962: Appointed by President Kennedy to the Organizing Board of the Communications Satellite Program. May 1970: Following Reuther’s death, Woodcock is elected president of the UAW. 1970: Woodcock leads 67-day strike against General Motors, personally directing negotiations. 1970-1977: Member of the International Metalworkers’ Federation’s Executive and Central Committees. 1977: Retires from UAW presidency. March 1977: Travels to Hanoi at the request of President Carter to discuss the release of Americans missing in action and prisoners of war. March 1977: Appointed by President Carter to go serve in China as Chief of the United States Liaison Office. Later designated as principle negotiator to normalize diplomatic relations between the US and PRC. 1978: Meets Sharon Tuohy in China, and the two soon marry. July 1978: Begins secret negotiations with Chinese leadership towards normalization of diplomatic relations. This leads to meetings with Deng Xiaoping, then the effective head of state in China. January 1979: After normalization officially achieved in late 1978, Woodcock appointed as first American ambassador to the PRC. February 1981: Woodcock resigns as ambassador. 1981: Becomes adjunct professor of political science at the University of Michigan. 1980s-1990s: Woodcock travels the world lecturing and discussing matters of China, international relations, and labor issues. 1991: The Leonard Woodcock Wing of the Walter P. Reuther Library opens at Wayne State University. 2001: Passes away in Ann Arbor, MI. ^ Return to Table of Contents - Page 5- Guide to the Leonard Woodcock