Thomas Lewis (unionist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas L. Lewis was a miner
and president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) 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.
He first ran for the presidency of UMWA in 1898 against John Mitchell
, but withdrew before a vote could be taken. He became vice president of District 6 under William Green
. When Mitchell fell ill in 1907 and was unable to control the UMWA convention, Lewis led an attack on him and won the presidency. He fought off challengers in 1908, 1909 and even Green himself in 1910, although he was forced to rig elections in the latter two campaigns.
Although Lewis stacked the organizing staff of the Mine Workers with his political supporters and turned the union's journal into a propaganda organ supporting his presidency, he did not retain leadership of the union after he signed regional wage agreements in 1909 and 1910 without the consent of the affected district presidents. He was defeated in 1910 by John P. White
.
He ran for the presidency of the union in 1912, but lost.
After leaving the union, he became an anti-labor consultant for coal operators in West Virginia
, published a coal operators' trade journal (the Coal Mining Review), and helped found the National Coal Association.
He died in Charleston, West Virginia
, in 1939.
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) from 1907 to 1911.
He was born in Locust Gap, Pennsylvania
Locust Gap, Pennsylvania
Locust Gap is an unincorporated community in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States....
, and worked in the mines as a boy. He later helped found the United Mine Workers in 1890.
He first ran for the presidency of UMWA in 1898 against John Mitchell
John Mitchell (United Mine Workers)
John Mitchell was a United States labor leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1898 to 1908....
, but withdrew before a vote could be taken. He became vice president of District 6 under William Green
William Green (labor leader)
William Green was an American trade union leader. Green is best remembered for serving as the President of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 to 1952.-Early years:...
. When Mitchell fell ill in 1907 and was unable to control the UMWA convention, Lewis led an attack on him and won the presidency. He fought off challengers in 1908, 1909 and even Green himself in 1910, although he was forced to rig elections in the latter two campaigns.
Although Lewis stacked the organizing staff of the Mine Workers with his political supporters and turned the union's journal into a propaganda organ supporting his presidency, he did not retain leadership of the union after he signed regional wage agreements in 1909 and 1910 without the consent of the affected district presidents. He was defeated in 1910 by John P. White
John White (unionist)
John Phillip White was a miner and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1911 to 1917....
.
He ran for the presidency of the union in 1912, but lost.
After leaving the union, he became an anti-labor consultant for coal operators in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, published a coal operators' trade journal (the Coal Mining Review), and helped found the National Coal Association.
He died in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, in 1939.