1930's Business and the Economy | Lewis, John L. 188O-1969

LABOR LEADER

Image.

John L. Lewis dominated the labor movement in the 1930s, To the millions of blue-collar workers whose lives he improved, Lewis was a saint. His enemies, however, viewed the labor leader as an egomaniac and demagogue. Lewis's enigmatic nature baffled his peers and fueled a mythical, larger-than-life image. Although he had an intense desire for power and wealth, Lewis championed industrial democracy and unionism. He embodied the spirit of the workingmen and workingwomen of the 1930s and devoted his life to helping the industrial worker.

Background.

Lewis was born in Cleveland, Iowa, in 1880. His father held a variety of jobs, including coal miner, and moved his family often. One relocation in particular, to the state capital Des Moines, had a major impact on Lewis's life. While his father worked as a police officer, young John was able to complete three and a half years of high school. The...