Samuel+Gompers

Samuel Gompers [|Samuel Gompers], an immigrant to the US from London, England in 1863, settled in New York City. He worked as a cigar maker with his father after leaving school. During this time, Gompers attended a lecture on the injustices towards the working force in 1879. After attending this lecture, Gompers began going to more labor meetings and became active trade unionist, even helping to restart the Cigarmaker’s Union.

**Samuel Gompers' Political Activity** In 1881, Gompers became the chairman of the new Federation of Trades and Labour Union. Five years later, when the Federation changed it's name to the American Federation of Labour, Samuel Gompers was elected it's first president. Throughout his time as president of the Federation, Gompers was an opponent of Socialism, as he was concerned of the socialists within the Federation having a negative impact due to controlling the other members to reach their own goals. In 1903, Gompers helped to start the Women's Trade Union League. He supported the United States' involvement in World War 1, and became a member of the Council of National Defense. In 1919, at the Versailles Peace Conference, Woodrow Wilson appointed Samuel Gompers as a member of the Commission of International Labor Legislation. On December 13, 1924, Samuel Gompers died in San Antonio, Texas. He had been president of the American Federation of Labor from 1866-1894, and later from 1896-1924, a total of 56 years. His autobiography, [|Seventy Years of Life and Labor], was published post-mortem.

__**Summary**__ Samuel Gompers was one of the major political figures of his time. With his help, several unions came into existence. This, along with his later work as a president of the American Federation of Labour and as a member of the Council of National Defense, made him one of the most influential people of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

 **Citation:**

Gompers, Samuel. "Seventy Years of Life and Labor: An Autobiography." //questia.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan 2012. .

. "Samuel Gompers." //American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations//. aflico.org, 2011. Web. 17 Jan 2012. .

Simkin, J. "Samuel Gompers: Biography." //Spartacus Educational//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2012. .