John Mitchell

Who was John Mitchell?

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 fifteen 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 from 1898 to 1900, and as second vice president from 1900 to 1914.