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Willie Julian Usery, Jr. was a labor union activist and U.S. government political appointee who served as United States Secretary of Labor in the... Ford administration. Although Willie is his birth name, official sources often mistakenly call him "William." For much of his life, Usery was known as "W.J.," although most associates call him "Bill." Usery was born in Hardwick, Georgia, the son of Willie J. Usery, Sr. and Effie Mae Williamson . He attended Georgia Military College from 1938 to 1941. From 1941 to 1942, he worked as an underwater welder for the J. A. Jones Construction Company in Brunswick, Georgia building Liberty ships. Usery married Gussie Mae Smith in 1942. With the need for naval welders growing dramatically during World War II, Usery enlisted in the United States Navy. From 1943 to 1946, Usery worked on a U.S. Navy repair ship in the Pacific. Following World War II, Usery worked as a steamfitter, welder, and machinist in Georgia. He attended Mercer University, but did not graduate.
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