Powderly, Terence Vincent, 1849-1924

Terence Vincent Powderly (1849-1924), labor leader and public servant, was the eloquent though flawed leader of the American Labor movement during the struggles of the late 19th century, specifically during his tenure as head of the fledgling Knights of Labor, 1879-1893. He was a committed Irish nationalist, serving as a member of Clan Na Gael and the Irish Land League. He was also a dedicated public servant, on both the local and federal level, with three terms as Mayor of Scranton, 1878-1884, and a reform-minded career in the U.S. Bureau of Immigration, 1897-1921, and the U.S. Department of Labor, 1921-1924. In these varied positions he was often photographed and many of these photos survive as part of his archival papers at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC. An aspect of his life not well known is that by the turn of the twentieth century, and over the age of 50, he had become an avid photographer. Several thousand photos, dating primarily from 1902 to 1921, also survive as part of the Powderly Papers and reflect a variety of subjects reflecting social, economic, and political life. Together, the photographs of and taken by Powderly are a rich resource documenting life in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.