Powderly, Terence V.

Powderly, Terence V.

▪ American labour leader
in full  Terence Vincent Powderly  
born January 22, 1849, Carbondale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
died June 24, 1924, Washington, D.C.
 American labour leader and politician who led the Knights of Labor (KOL) from 1879 to 1893.

      Powderly, the son of Irish immigrants to the United States, became a railroad worker at the age of 13 in Pennsylvania. At 17 he became a machinist's apprentice, and he worked at that trade until age 28. He joined the Machinists' and Blacksmiths' Union in 1871 and rose steadily within the organization. In 1874 he joined the secret order of the Knights of Labor, in which he also advanced rapidly. In 1879 he was chosen grand master workman (after 1883, general master workman), the union's highest post. In addition to his union activities, Powderly was also elected mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, three times as a Greenback (Greenback movement)-Labor candidate, serving from 1878 to 1884.

      Like his predecessor as the head of the Knights, Uriah Stephens (Stephens, Uriah Smith), Powderly saw the union as a vehicle for leading American workers out of the bondage of wage labour. He presided over the Knights in the period of their greatest numerical strength—the mid-1880s—but never understood that the KOL's appeal came as much from the weakness of competing trade unions (trade union) as it did from the distinctiveness of the KOL's approach, which emphasized secrecy while repudiating involvement in strikes. In the spring of 1886, the Knights claimed a membership of 700,000. Within a year, however, counterattacks by businessmen such as Jay Gould (Gould, Jay) and public blame for the Haymarket Riot had tarnished the KOL's image. Membership steadily declined. Powderly became absorbed in internal disputes and finally resigned in 1893.

      In the remaining years of his career, he practiced law, tried his hand at business, and served in several government posts. His first book, Thirty Years of Labor, was published in 1889; his autobiography, The Path I Trod, was published posthumously in 1940.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Powderly, Terence V(incent) — born Jan. 22, 1849, Carbondale, Pa., U.S. died June 24, 1924, Washington, D.C. U.S. labour leader. The son of Irish immigrants, he became a railroad worker at age 13 and a machinist s apprentice at 17. He joined the Machinists and Blacksmiths… …   Universalium

  • Powderly, Terence V(incent) — (22 ene. 1849, Carbondale, Pa., EE.UU.–24 jun. 1924, Washington, D.C.). Dirigente sindical estadounidense, hijo de inmigrantes irlandeses. A la edad de 13 años comenzó a trabajar en el ferrocarril y a los 17 años era aprendiz de maquinista. En… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Terence V. Powderly — Terence Vincent Powderly Terence Vincent Powderly (* 22. Januar 1849 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania; † 24. Juni 1924 in Washington D.C.), war amerikanischer Gewerkschafter, von 1879 bis 1893 Führer der Knights of Labor, Bürgermeister, Anwalt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Terence Vincent Powderly — (* 22. Januar 1849 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania; † 24. Juni 1924 in Washington D.C.), war amerikanischer Gewerkschafter, von 1879 bis 1893 Führer der Knights of Labor, Bürgermeister, Anwalt, Generalbevollmächtigter de …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Terence — /ter euhns/, n. 1. (Publius Terentius Afer) c190 159? B.C., Roman playwright. 2. a male given name: taken from a Roman family name. * * * I orig. Publius Terentius Afer born с 195, Carthage, North Africa died 159? BC, in Greece or at sea Roman… …   Universalium

  • Terence — (as used in expressions) McQueen, (Terence) Steve(n) Powderly, Terence V(incent) Rattigan, Sir Terence (Mervyn) White, T(erence) H(anbury) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Powderly, Texas — Powderly is an unincorporated community in Lamar County, Texas, United States.Early HistoryPowderly is located on U.S. Highway 271 nine miles (14 km) north of Paris in north central Lamar County. It was settled around the time of the Civil War… …   Wikipedia

  • Powderly — (spr. pauderli), Terence, s. Ritter der Arbeit …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Terence V. Powderly — Infobox Person name = Terence V. Powderly caption = Terence V. Powderly birth date = birth date|1849|01|22 birth place = Carbondale Pennsylvania death date = death date and age|1924|06|24|1849|01|22 occupation = Leader of the Knights of Labor… …   Wikipedia

  • Terence V. Powderly House — Infobox nrhp name = Terence V. Powderly House nrhp type = nhl caption = House in 2007 location = Scranton, PA nearest city = lat degrees = 41 lat minutes = 25 lat seconds = 07 lat direction = N long degrees = 75 long minutes = 40 long seconds =… …   Wikipedia

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