Hugh O'Donnell

Who is Hugh O'Donnell?

Hugh O'Donnell (born 1863) was a descendent from one of the most notable families in Ireland. He had worked as a newspaper reporter before drifting into steelworking.O'Donnell was admired by his neighbors and co-workers in Homestead, PA for several reasons. He was a quick thinker and an excellent speaker, owned a fine house, and was "envied for having the prettiest wife in town" (Wolff, 87). Because of the admiration they had for him, the steelworkers who gathered during a mass meeting after the June 30 lockout chose O'Donnell as leader of the Advisory Committee, a position which resulted in his being blacklisted for life once the strike was over. His career in the mills finished, O'Donnell traveled as a manager of the "Edwards Family," a small orchestra comprised of another blacklisted Homestead steelworker, John Edwards, and his five children, through 1893. He then worked as an editor for a weekly Chicago journal.By Cheri Goldner