Arthur H. Riani and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 66

University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	Arthur H. Riani and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 66
Date range:	1923-1989, (bulk 1923-1989)
Creator:	Riani, Arthur H., 1903-1996
Extent:	3 box(es) (1.5 linear feet)
Abstract:	The collection consists of the records of Arthur H. Riani who was a longtime employee of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 66 of Providence, Rhode Island. Riani served almost 50 years with the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, representing Lodge 66 at numerous conventions. The majority of the records deal with Riani's service to the Brotherhood.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 229

Scope & content

The Arthur H. Riani and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 66 Papers reflect Riani's involvement with the Brotherhood for almost 50 years. The papers consist of convention documents, correspondence, photographs, statements, and member lists.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in one series as follows:

• 1. General Files

Biographical note

Arthur H. Riani began his long railroad career at the age of 17 as a trolley boy for the Rhode Island Company. He later became a railroad brakeman for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1920. Riani joined the Providence Lodge 66 of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in November of 1921. The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen was founded in New York in 1883 to provide conductors, brakemen, stewards, and other workers of the rails with insurance and protective services. Although defeated in a bid for Vice President, Riani was elected as the State Legislature Representative in 1928. By 1929, Riani assumed the responsibility as Lodge Secretary. He began representing the Providence Lodge 66 as a delegate to the National Convention of the Brotherhood in 1935, and would continue to represent Lodge 66 in 1939, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1964, and 1968. Riani attended the 1950 convention as a member of the Executive Board of the Grand Lodge. He was elected Treasurer of Lodge 66 in 1936 after an audit revealed that the former Treasurer illegally appropriated funds. Upon successfully stabilizing Lodge 66’s funds, Riani was promoted to the Grand Lodge as Traveling Auditor. Riani also represented Rhode Island rail workers on the Executive Board of the AFL-CIO. Arthur Riani worked in the National Legislative Office for the Brotherhood in Cleveland, Ohio for thirteen years before returning to Rhode Island to help create and pass railroad legislation. He retired on December 30, 1968 after serving the railroad for 49 years. Even after his retirement, Riani remained active in the Brotherhood which would later become a part of the United Transportation Union.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Any qualified person doing scholarly research is permitted to use material housed in the Special Collections Unit.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	Arthur H. Riani and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 66, Mss. Gr. 229, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Arthur H. Riani and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Lodge 66 Papers were given to the Special Collections Department of the University Library in July of 2009 by a deed of unrestricted gift signed by labor professor, Dr. Scott Molloy. Molloy was given and collected Riani and Brotherhood documents which he then donated to Special Collections.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Abigail Casavant.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Abigail Casavant 2013 May 29, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 April 3
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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Inventory