John Lawson, born and raised in Pennsylvania, left school at an early age to work in a local mine. In 1893, Lawson joined his father in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon to lease coal land and open a mine. In 1894, when the mine didn't open they moved to Wyoming, then to Colorado in 1895. Lawson joined the United Mine Workers of America when it formed in 1898. In 1906, the union elected him to represent District 15 with the International Executive Board. In 1913, Lawson served on the State Federation of Labor Investigating Committee to investigate militia activity in Southern Colorado. When John Nimmo, a deputy sheriff, was shot at the Ludlow tent colony in 1913 during a confrontation between strikers and mine guards, Lawson was arrested and found guilt of murder. He won an appeal in 1917 from the Colorado Supreme Court. Lawson remained active in labor and worked for several organizations including Rocky Mountain Fuel Co., University of Colorado and the labor college of Grace Community Church.
From the description of John R. Lawson papers 1894-1962. (Denver Public Library). WorldCat record id: 14117250
