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Manuel Fernandes Jr. was born October 13, 1913 in Acushnet, Massachusetts, USA. He was the first of his family from Madeira Island to be born in the United States. He married Louise Frezza Fernandes, a seamstress at a local textile mill, who was president of the Italian Women's Club in 1961. They lived in the Brickenwood Housing Project in New Bedford and had three children James, Barbara and Robert. He was President of The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament in 1963. He was also and most importantly noted as President of UNITE, a textile workers union based in North Dartmouth, MA, after long success as Union Business Agent. Manny formulated and oversaw the strike of 1955, where 15,000 workers in New Bedford and Fall River successfully negotiated a five cent raise. He is also co-founder of UMASS Dartmouth's Labor Center. Manny retired in the Summer of 1981 and died January 1, 2006 at the age of 92. He was known as an important influence to labor union history and to his family.
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