.gif)
John Mitchell (United Mine Workers)
Encyclopedia
John Mitchell was a United States
labor
leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1898 to 1908.
John Mitchell was born in 1870 in Braidwood
, Illinois
, a second generation Irish
immigrant
. He became an orphan when he was only six years old, and began working at that age to support his family. He worked in the coal mines his whole life. When he was nineteen years old, he joined the Knights of Labor
in 1885 and was a founding member of the United Mine Workers of America in 1890. He was elected District 12 secretary-treasurer in 1895. He was made an international union organizer in 1897 and worked alongside Mary Harris "Mother" Jones before being elected an international vice president the same year.
In September 1898, Mitchell became acting president of UMWA after president Michael Ratchford
resigned to become a member of the United States Industrial Commission
. He won election outright in 1899.
He helped organize the National Civic Federation
in 1900.
He served as fourth vice president of the American Federation of Labor
(AFL) from 1898 to 1900, and as second vice president from 1900 to 1914 (although he had lost the UMWA presidency in 1908).
Along with AFL Samuel Gompers
and AFL secretary-treasurer Frank Morrison, he was sentenced to prison for violating a court injunction during a strike at the Buck Stove and Range Co. in St. Louis
, Missouri
. In a landmark case, the United States Supreme Court overturned the contempt citation in Gompers v. Buck's Stove and Range Co., finding that the court of appeals had erred in allowing the company to bring the complaint of contempt, rather than the district court itself.
One of Mitchell's earliest challenges in the UMWA was to help incorporate new workers from various ethnicities into the union. There were numerous language barriers, as well as cultural biases and outright prejudice to be overcome. His success in this area helped him become vice-president in 1897, and president one year later.
Labor activity was notoriously dangerous at the time. Just before Mitchell became president, the Lattimer Massacre
had seen 19 miners killed by police and 58 miners died in the Twin Shaft Disaster
one year earlier. But this was also a period of growth for the union: the number of members grew almost tenfold, from 34,000 to 300,000, during Mitchell's term. Mitchell engaged in contentious negotiations with mining companies, including one in which President
Theodore Roosevelt
had to intervene, resulting in an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage
. A tributary statue of Mitchell stands on the grounds of the Lackawanna County
Courthouse in Scranton
, Pennsylvania
, the site of the negotiations in which President Roosevelt participated. Because of the significance of these negotiations, the statue and the Courthouse are considered National Historic Landmarks.
When his successor, Thomas Lewis
, won approval of a resolution forcing UMWA members to resign from the National Civic Federation, Mitchell left the union. He continued his association with the federation for many years, as well as serving on a number of state and federal commissions.
Mitchell died in New York City
in 1919.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1898 to 1908.
John Mitchell was born in 1870 in Braidwood
Braidwood, Illinois
eBraidwood is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, approximately southwest of Chicago and south of Joliet. The population was 5,203 at the 2000 census....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, a second generation Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. He became an orphan when he was only six years old, and began working at that age to support his family. He worked in the coal mines his whole life. When he was nineteen years old, he joined the Knights of Labor
Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence Powderly...
in 1885 and was a founding member of the United Mine Workers of America in 1890. He was elected District 12 secretary-treasurer in 1895. He was made an international union organizer in 1897 and worked alongside Mary Harris "Mother" Jones before being elected an international vice president the same year.
In September 1898, Mitchell became acting president of UMWA after president Michael Ratchford
Michael Ratchford
Michael Ratchford was an American labor leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1897 to 1898....
resigned to become a member of the United States Industrial Commission
Industrial Commission
The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentration, and the impact of immigration on labor markets, and make recommendations to the President...
. He won election outright in 1899.
He helped organize the National Civic Federation
National Civic Federation
The National Civic Federation, was a federation of American businesses and labor leaders founded in 1900. It favoured moderate progressive reform and sought to resolve disputes arising between industry and organized labor. It emerged first in 1893 as the Chicago Civic Federation , which was also...
in 1900.
He served as fourth vice president of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL) from 1898 to 1900, and as second vice president from 1900 to 1914 (although he had lost the UMWA presidency in 1908).
Along with AFL Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
and AFL secretary-treasurer Frank Morrison, he was sentenced to prison for violating a court injunction during a strike at the Buck Stove and Range Co. in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. In a landmark case, the United States Supreme Court overturned the contempt citation in Gompers v. Buck's Stove and Range Co., finding that the court of appeals had erred in allowing the company to bring the complaint of contempt, rather than the district court itself.
One of Mitchell's earliest challenges in the UMWA was to help incorporate new workers from various ethnicities into the union. There were numerous language barriers, as well as cultural biases and outright prejudice to be overcome. His success in this area helped him become vice-president in 1897, and president one year later.
Lattimer massacre
The Lattimer massacre was the violent deaths of 19 unarmed striking immigrant anthracite coal miners at the Lattimer mine near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 1897. The miners, mostly of Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian and German ethnicity, were shot and killed by a Luzerne County sheriff's...
had seen 19 miners killed by police and 58 miners died in the Twin Shaft Disaster
Twin Shaft Disaster
The Twin Shaft Disaster occurred in the Newton Coal Company's Twin Shaft Colliery in Pittston, Pennsylvania on June 28, 1896, when a massive cave-in killed fifty-eight miners.-Disaster:...
one year earlier. But this was also a period of growth for the union: the number of members grew almost tenfold, from 34,000 to 300,000, during Mitchell's term. Mitchell engaged in contentious negotiations with mining companies, including one in which President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
had to intervene, resulting in an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
. A tributary statue of Mitchell stands on the grounds of the Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile . There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile...
Courthouse in Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the site of the negotiations in which President Roosevelt participated. Because of the significance of these negotiations, the statue and the Courthouse are considered National Historic Landmarks.
When his successor, Thomas Lewis
Thomas Lewis (unionist)
Thomas L. Lewis was a miner and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1907 to 1911.He was born in Locust Gap, Pennsylvania, and worked in the mines as a boy. He later helped found the United Mine Workers in 1890....
, won approval of a resolution forcing UMWA members to resign from the National Civic Federation, Mitchell left the union. He continued his association with the federation for many years, as well as serving on a number of state and federal commissions.
Mitchell died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1919.