Mitchell, John, 1870-1919

John Mitchell was born in Braidwood, Ill., on February 4, 1870. Between the ages of twelve and twenty he worked in the coal mines of Illinois, Colorado, and other states. Mitchell joined the United Mine Workers of America upon its founding in 1890, became an Illinois sub-district official in 1894, and was elected national vice-president in 1898. He assumed the presidency the following year.

Mitchell's greatest success was the organizing of the Pennsylvania anthracite fields and directing the Anthracite Strikes of 1900 and 1902. The latter was settled through the intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt and resulted in the appointment of the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission and a permanent board of conciliation to settle grievances. Mitchell also served as vice-president of the American Federation of Labor from 1898 to 1914.

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