John McBride (labor leader)

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John McBride
Sketch of McBride in 1894 publication
2nd President of the AFL
In office
January 1, 1895 – December 1895
Preceded bySamuel Gompers
Succeeded bySamuel Gompers
2nd President of the United Mine Workers
In office
1892–1895
Preceded byJohn B. Rae
Succeeded byPhil Penna
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the Stark County district
In office
1884–1888
Serving with Leander C. Cole
Preceded bySilas A. Conrad and Thomas C. Snyder
Succeeded byJohn E. Monnot and George W. Wilhelm
Personal details
Born(1854-06-25)June 25, 1854
Chippewa Township, Ohio, U.S.
DiedOctober 9, 1917(1917-10-09) (aged 63)
Globe, Arizona, U.S.
Resting placeColumbus, Ohio, U.S.
Spouse
Mary Kelly
​
(m. 1874)​
Children4
Occupation
  • Miner
  • labor leader
Known forPresident, United Mine Workers of America

John McBride (June 25, 1854 – October 9, 1917) was an American labor union leader. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing Stark County from 1884 to 1888. He was the second president of the American Federation of Labor, serving from 1894 to 1895.

Early life[edit]

John McBride was born on June 25, 1854, in Chippewa Township, Ohio, to Bridge (née McMackin) and Thomas McBride. His father emigrated from England and worked as a mining supervisor in Massillon. McBride started working in the coal mines at the age of about eight or nine. He first worked as a water carrier before becoming a miner at the age of 12.[1][2][3]

Career[edit]

In 1870 or 1872, McBride joined the Ohio Miners' Union. He became secretary of Lodge No. 15, M. L. B. A. In 1877, McBride became district president of the Tuscarawas Valley Miners' Association. He also served as president of the Miners' Protective Association of Ohio. In 1879, McBride stopped working in mines and became a check weighman at the Groves Coal Company. In April 1882, he was elected president of the Ohio Miners' Union, a post that he retained until 1889.[1][2] He served as president during the Coal miners' strike of 1873.[4] In December 1888, he became president of the National Progressive Miners' Union and served in that role until February 1890.[1][2]

McBride was a Democrat. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing Stark County from 1884 to 1888.[1][5] In 1886, he was nominated for Ohio Secretary of State, but lost to James S. Robinson. In 1887, he ran for the Ohio Senate, but lost.[2] On April 1, 1890, McBride was appointed commissioner to the Bureau of Labor Statistics by Governor James E. Campbell. He served in that role until February 22, 1892. He helped found the Ohio People’s Party in 1891. In 1892, McBride was elected president of the United Mine Workers.[1][2]

McBride's prominence continued to rise with the growth of the Populist Movement in the American Midwest, and in 1894, McBride unseated labor icon Samuel Gompers as president of the American Federation of Labor. He held that role from January 1, 1895, to December 1895. Not long after assuming the office, however, McBride became embroiled in conflicts with other union leaders and his popularity declined. Gompers regained the presidency the following year.[4][6]

Starting in 1890, McBride was editor of the Miner's Independent, publication of the miners' union based in Massillon.[2]

In the spring of 1917, U.S. Secretary of Labor William Bauchop Wilson appointed McBride conciliator in labor disputes in Jerome, Arizona. He also acted as conciliator in Utah and Globe, Arizona.[7][8] He was appointed police magistrate in Phoenix, Arizona, and was a member of the tobacco manufacturing firm McBride and Beaver.[4][8] He served as president of the Arizona State Federation of Labor.[8]

Personal life[edit]

McBride married Mary Kelly, daughter of William Kelly, of Knox County, Ohio, on August 11, 1874. They had four children, Lida L., Kittie B., Edward J. and Joseph F.[2] The family lived on Summit Street.[2] He moved to Phoenix, in 1911 due to his health.[7] They lived at 1418 West Washington Street in Phoenix.[4]

McBride died on October 9, 1917, at a hospital in Globe. He was standing on a street corner in Globe, when a runaway horse knocked him through a plate glass window, causing severe lacerations in his leg, a severed artery, great loss of blood, and death.[3][7][4] He was buried in Columbus, Ohio.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e United Mine Workers Journal. United Mine Workers of America. January 18, 1917. p. 5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Portrait and Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio. Chapman Bros. 1892. pp. 182–183. Retrieved 2023-09-12 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  3. ^ a b "John McBride, Labor Leader, Is Killed". New York Times. October 10, 1917. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Judge McBride, Victim of Mad Broncho, Dies in Hospital in Globe". The Arizona Republic. 1917-10-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-09-13 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^ Taylor, W. A. (1892). Ohio Statesmen and Hundred Year Book. The Westbote Co., State Printers. pp. 388–390. Retrieved 2023-09-13 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  6. ^ Taft, Philip. The A.F. of L. in the Time of Gompers. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957.
  7. ^ a b c "Wilson's Envoy in Arizona is Fatally Hurt". Tucson Citizen. 1917-10-09. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-09-13 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  8. ^ a b c "John McBride Killed in Accident at Globe". Weekly Journal-Miner. 1917-10-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-09-13 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  9. ^ "John McBride Killed". The Graham Guardian. 1917-10-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-09-13 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon

External links[edit]

Trade union offices
Preceded by President of the United Mine Workers of America
1892 - 1895 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the American Federation of Labor
1894–1895 		Succeeded by
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