WALLACE COKE REILLY

1898-1973

Wallace Coke Reilly had even more union blood than printer’s ink in him during a long career with the Typographical Union. 

Reilly’s father owned the Denton Chronicle and organized the Typographical Union in Dallas under the viaduct bridge, because unions were so unpopular there. Reilly's mother organized the Ladies’ Auxiliary to the union and also organized the first Congress of Mothers, which later became the PTA of Texas. 

Reilly spent his long career helping union members organize and participate in Texas growth. He helped restore the Neiman-Marcus Building after a fire and aided in building the Dallas Public Library. Beyond his service as president of his union and the Dallas Labor Council, he organized unions and councils around the state. He helped write the merger of the Dallas AFL and CIO, setting a pattern for the national merger. 

Reilly also served as Executive Secretary of the Texas AFL, working picket lines in Texas and Canada. At the request of Governor Jimmy Allred, he personally lobbied President Roosevelt for WPA funds, bringing millions of dollars to Texas for construction projects. 

A ferocious advocate for labor and superb organizer, Reilly typified the hard work and character that built the Texas labor movement.