International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers President Lonnie R. Stephenson is retiring, effective Jan. 4, bringing an end to a nearly five-decade active career in the union.

“It’s been the honor of my life to serve the members of the greatest union in the world and advance the cause of trade unionism in the electrical industry,” Stephenson said. “As hard as it is to step aside, I am confident that the IBEW remains in good hands.”

The International Executive Council appointed International Secretary-Treasurer Kenneth W. Cooper to fill the remainder of Stephenson's term and Sixth District International Vice President Paul Noble to fill the remainder of Cooper’s term.

“Lonnie’s been more than my working partner for these last few years,” Cooper said. “He’s one of my closest friends as well. Every day I had a front-row seat to witness his dedication to growing the IBEW, and he leaves our union in a much stronger place than when he started.”

Stephenson thanked the more than 775,000 members of the IBEW for entrusting him with stewardship of the union. “I’m proud of everything we accomplished together,” he said. “This was never about me, but about all of us working together as a team to make the IBEW bigger, stronger and more effective for improving the lives of our members and future members. Thank you to each and every IBEW member for your contributions over the last seven years.”