ABSTRACT
John Llewellyn Lewis (1880-1969) was born near Lucas, Iowa, of Welsh immigrant parents. The eldest of eight children, he was able to complete all but the final year of high school-which was unusual for children of coal miners in the nineteenth century. Lewis became active in the UMW when he himself became a coal miner. After moving to the newly developed coalmining region around Panama, Illinois, he became a leader in that town’s UMW local. In 1910 he became a full-time organizer for the AFL for a sixyear period, all the while maintaining close connections with UMW locals as he traveled around the country, and in 1917 he went on the Mine Workers’ staff. Beginning as statistician, moving up as business manager of the union’s journal, and then assuming the position of UMW Vice-President, Lewis demonstrated im pressive organizational and internal-political skills, and also his abilities in successfully coordinating the 1919 coal strike. This ensured his 1920 election to the presidency of the UMW, which was, at the time, the country’s largest union. The UMW also stood out among AFL unions in being organized along inclusive industrial lines, embracing workers of all skills and skill levels in a unified organization.
