Special Collections & University Archives Manuscript Collections

William H. Sylvis Collection

William H. Sylvis, an Indiana Couty native, was born in Armagh, PA, on November 26, 1828.  His father, Nicholas, worked as a wagon-maker.  As a result of the Panic of 1837, the Sylvis family faced economic hardships, and its members scattered in search of employment.  William found his way to Union County, PA, where he learned the iron molding trade at Forest Iron Works.  In 1852, he married Amelia A. Thomas, and the couple settled in Philadelphia.  After being elected secretary of the Iron Molders' Union, Sylvis proposed that a national meeting of iron workers convene.   His dream became a reality in July 1859, when the Iron Molders International union held its 1st annual meeting.  Sylvis gave a rousing speech to the delegates, and this address was incorporated as part of the preamble of the newly-created union constitution.   In 1860, union members elected Sylvis treasurer of their organization.  During the 1863 convention, held in Pittsburgh during the height of the Civil War, Sylvis was electd to the prestigious post of president of the molder's union.  For a year immediately afer the war, he served as editor for the Iron Molders' International Journal, a monthly periodical.  As American labor leaders pressed for the establishment of a national trade union to unite the interests of workers, Sylvis advocated union solidarity.   He was instrumental in the creation of the National Labor Union (NLU), instituted in 1868.  In fact, he became president of the NLU and, in effect, was the spokesman for over 600,000 American workers.  Sylvis advanced the labor cause, supporting the eight-hour day, arbitration of labor disputes, and tenement-housing reform during his tenure as NLU president.  At the apex of his career, Sylvis died on July 27, 1869, at age 41.  During his lifetime, he had won the reputation as an ardent defender of the workingperson.  His determination and dedication propelled him into the national spotlight as a popular labor leader.

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