{{Short description|American trade union leader (1828–1869)}} [[File:Sylvis-William.jpg|thumb|right|240px|William Sylvis (1828-1869), American labor leader.]] '''William H. Sylvis''' (1828–1869) was a pioneer American [[trade union]] leader who founded the [[Iron Molders' International Union]]. He also was a founder of the [[National Labor Union]]. It was one of the first American union federations attempting to unite workers of various crafts into a single national organization.
==Early years==
William H. Sylvis was born in 1828 in the borough of [[Armagh, Pennsylvania]], he did the second son of Nicholas and Maria Mott Sylvis, native-born Americans of [[Irish people|Irish]] extraction who each traced their American ancestry back to the pre-revolutionary period.<ref name=Mont3>David Montgomery, "William H. Sylvis and the Search for Working-Class Citizenship," in Melvyn Dubofsky and Warren Van Tine (eds.), ''Labor Leaders in America.'' Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1987; pg. 3.</ref> Nicholas' father was a maker of canal boats and repairman of [[wagons]] who found great difficulty earning enough money to support his family.<ref name=Mont4>Montgomery, "William H. Sylvis and the Search for Working-Class Citizenship," pg. 4.</ref> During the [[Panic of 1837]] the family's financial situation became particularly grave and young William was sent to live on the homestead of a prosperous neighbor named Pawling,<ref name=HIllquit166>Morris Hillquit, ''History of Socialism in the United States.'' Revised and enlarged 5th Edition. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1910; pg. 166.</ref> earning his keep there by helping with chores around the farm.<ref name=Mont4 />
The change of family setting proved beneficial for Sylvis from an educational standpoint, who was taught to read and write by his new employer.<ref name=HIllquit166 /> Sylvis attended school for the first time at age of 11.<ref name=Mont4 /> He proved to be a voracious reader and took full advantage of the library at the farm estate, owned as it was by a man who had been elected to the [[Pennsylvania State Assembly]].<ref name=Mont4 />
===Iron molder===
In 1846 the 18-year-old Sylvis left the farmstead to learn the trade of [[iron]] [[casting (metalworking)|molding]] — fabricating products by pouring molten metal into wooden patterns.<ref name=Mont5>Montgomery, "William H. Sylvis and the Search for Working-Class Citizenship," pg. 5.</ref>
In 1851 the 23-year-old Sylvis married 15-year-old Amelia A. Thomas.<ref name=Mont5 /> The union ultimately produced three sons, who were named after contemporary heroes — [[Henry Clay]] Sylvis, [[Oliver Hazard Perry|Oliver Perry]] Sylvis, and [[Lewis and Clark Expedition|Lewis Clark]] Sylvis.<ref name=Mont5 /> Following his wife's death in 1865, Sylvis remarried; he ultimately fathered a total of five children.<ref name=BDAL>Donald G. Sofchalk, "William H. Sylvis," in Gary M. Fink (ed.), ''Biographical Dictionary of American Labor.'' Second edition. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984; pg. 541.</ref>
Sylvis found his way to [[Philadelphia]] where he became active in the local [[trade union]] movement, serving as secretary of the Philadelphia molders' union.<ref name=Foner236>Philip S. Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1, From Colonial Times to the Founding of the American Federation of Labor.'' New York: International Publishers, 1947; pp. 236-237.</ref> A spontaneous October 1857 strike over a proposed wage cut in the shop at which he was working was the precipitating event in Sylvis' entry into the labor movement.<ref name=EAM>Tim Davenport, [http://www.marxisthistory.org/subject/usa/eam/firstinternational.html "Organizational History of the 'International Working Men's Association,'"] Early American Marxism website, www.marxisthistory.org/</ref> The shop's workers met and chose William Sylvis as their Secretary, from which sprung the organization which later became Iron-Moulders Union no. 1.<ref name=EAM />
In this capacity Sylvis communicated with other local iron molders' unions with a view to establishing a national organization that could obtain higher wages for molders nationwide.<ref name=Foner236 /> Upon receiving positive feedback, Sylvis circulated a formal convention call to establish such a national organization, with the founding gathering held in Philadelphia on July 5, 1859.<ref name=Foner237>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 237.</ref>
A provisional federation of local molders unions followed, culminating in 1860 with the establishment of the [[National Union of Iron Molders]].<ref name=Foner237 />
During the [[American Civil War]] Sylvis aided the Union forces, despite having supported [[Stephen A. Douglas]] in the [[1860 United States presidential election|Presidential election of 1860]].<ref>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 295.</ref> Early in the conflict Sylvis recruited a regiment on behalf of the Union Army, although he himself declined the offer of a [[commissioned officer|commission]] as a [[1st Lieutenant]] due to his wife's vehement objection.<ref name=Foner309>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 309.</ref> Several months later he established a [[militia]] company composed of Philadelphia iron molders, serving as a [[Sergeant]] with the group for several months.<ref name=Foner309 />
In 1863 Sylvis was elected President of the flagging National Union of Iron Molders,<ref name=PAHistory>[http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-2BF "William H. Sylvis Historical Marker,"] Explore PA History, explorepahistory.com/</ref> a group which had virtually gone extinct during the wartime years. He subsequently traveled over 10,000 miles on behalf of the union, giving public speeches and organizing union locals.<ref name=PAHistory /> Sylvis persuaded the locals that he visited to bring their often disparate by-laws into conformity with a single national constitution, helping to unite the loose federation of local groups into a more centralized organization, which had changed its name to the Iron Molders' International Union at its 1863 conclave.<ref name=Foner346>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 346.</ref> During the course of his 1863 travels, Sylvis single-handedly formed 19 new molders' locals, reorganized 16 others which had fallen by the wayside after the outbreak of the war in 1861, and helped to solidify 12 more locals.<ref name=Foner348>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 348.</ref> In recognition of his service Sylvis was re-elected head of the union in 1864.<ref name=Foner348 />
Under Sylvis the Molders' Union reworked its financial system, selling union cards and charters and collecting national dues — actions which managed to place the struggling union on a firm financial basis for the first time.<ref name=Foner346 /> Sylvis also created the union's first national strike fund, generated by a compulsory tax upon the membership.<ref>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pp. 346-347.</ref>
===Organizing the National Labor Union===
In February 1866 Sylvis set his sights on the establishment of an organization that was broader still — a [[labor federation|federation]] of unions which would be able to bring workers of different crafts together under a single organizational umbrella. Sylvis joined William Harding, president of the [[Coach Makers' International Union]] and Jonathan Fincher, head of the [[Machinists and Blacksmiths Union]] at a Philadelphia meeting to discuss the organization of such a national labor federation.<ref name=Foner371>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 371.</ref>
The trio resolved to hold another planning session in [[New York City]], to which would be invited other prominent trade union leaders. This March 26, 1866 session was attended by a group of 11 delegates, who set in motion preparations for an August convention to be held in [[Baltimore, Maryland]] under the auspices of the Baltimore Trades Assembly.<ref name=Foner371 /> The end result of this preparatory period was the establishment of a new national federation, the [[National Labor Union]] (NLU).<ref name=Foner371 />
The founding convention of the NLU opened on August 20, 1866. It was attended by 60 delegates, representing 43 local trade unions, 11 trade assemblies, 4 [[Eight-hour Leagues]], and two national or international unions.<ref name=Foner371 /> Ironically, William Sylvis, arguably the founding father of the organization, was unable to attend the gathering due to illness.<ref name=Foner375>Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 375.</ref> While Sylvis carefully followed the work of the five-day convention, he was critical of its work, declaring that it had built a "splendid track, placed upon it a locomotive complete in all its parts; provided an engineer and numerous assistants, placed them upon the footboard, told them to go ahead and then suddenly adjourned without providing wood or water to get up steam..."<ref>James C. Sylvis (ed.), ''The Life, Speeches, Labors and Essays of William H. Sylvis: Late President of the Iron-Moulders' International Union; and also of the National Labor Union.'' Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger, 1872; pg. 7. Quoted in Foner, ''History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume 1,'' pg. 375.</ref>
During this interval Sylvis did not work as a trade union functionary, instead entering the world of journalism as co-editor of the Chicago broadsheet ''Workingman's Advocate,'' regarded as the most influential labor newspaper of the day.<ref name=Mont13>Montgomery, "William H. Sylvis and the Search for Working-Class Citizenship," pg. 13.</ref> Thinking broadly about prospects for the labor movement as a vehicle to drive political policy, Sylvis came to see the NLU as a potential vehicle for social and economic reform, including the establishment of [[cooperative|producer cooperatives]], the [[Eight-hour day|8-hour work day]], and currency reform.<ref name=BDAL />
[[File:William H. Sylvis Historical Marker.jpg|thumb|Historical marker dedicated to William H. Sylvis]]
Sylvis was elected president of the NLU at its third convention, held in New York City in August 1868.<ref name=EAM /> He also authored the organization's platform adopted at that gathering.<ref name=EAM /> By this juncture Sylvis had become an advocate of international organization of the working class through the vehicle of the [[International Workingmen's Association]], the so-called "First International."<ref name=EAM /> He also declared that neither of the old political parties truly represented the interests of the [[working class]] and sought to transform the NLU into a workingmen's political party.<ref name=BDAL />
Death at an early age intervened, however, and Sylvis's vision of a broad and powerful National Labor Union and its associated [[National Reform Party (United States)|National Reform Party]] ultimately came to naught.
===Death and legacy===
William Sylvis died in 1869. He was just 41 years old at the time of his death.
In 1990 the state of [[Pennsylvania]] honored Sylvis with the dedication of a historical marker at [[Indiana University of Pennsylvania]] in [[Indiana, Pennsylvania]].<ref name=PAHistory /> The marker's text reads, <blockquote>American labor pioneer. Born in Indiana County. 1828. Founder. National Union of Iron Molders, 1859. President, National Labor Union, 1868-1869. Sylvis strove for unity among working men and women regardless of race or nationality. He died, "labor's champion," 1869.</blockquote>
==See also==
* [[International Workingmen's Association in America]]
==Footnotes== {{reflist|2}}
==Works==
* [https://archive.org/details/lifespeecheslab00sylvgoog ''The Life, Speeches, Labors and Essays of William H. Sylvis: Late President of the Iron-Moulders' International Union; and also of the National Labor Union.''] James C. Sylvis, ed. Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger, 1872.
==Further reading==
* Eggert, Gerald G. ''The Iron Industry in Pennsylvania.'' Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical Association, 1994. * Grossman, Jonathan P. ''William Sylvis, Pioneer of American Labor: A Study of the Labor Movement during the Era of the Civil War.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1945. [https://archive.org/details/williamsylvispio0000gros online]
* Montgomery, David. "William H. Sylvis and the Search for Working-Class Citizenship." in ''Labor Leaders in America'' (1987): 13-28. [https://archive.org/details/laborleadersinam00grap_0 online]
* Richardson, Reed C. ''Labor Leaders, 1860s.'' (Ithaca: New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, 1955.) * Todes, Charlotte ''[https://archive.org/details/WilliamHSylvisAndTheNationalLaborUnion William H. Sylvis and the National Labor Union].'' New York: International Publishers, 1942.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylvis, William H.}} [[Category:1828 births]] [[Category:1869 deaths]] [[Category:Activists from Philadelphia]] [[Category:American trade union leaders]] [[Category:19th-century American newspaper editors]] [[Category:American male journalists]] [[Category:19th-century American male writers]] [[Category:Journalists from Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Writers from Philadelphia]] [[Category:Trade unionists from Pennsylvania]] [[Category:19th-century American trade unionists]]