Murray, Philip 1886-1952

PRESIDENT OF THE CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS AND LABOR LEADER

Early Years.

Born in Blantrye, Scotland, in 1886, Philip Murray arrived with his family in the United States on Christmas Day 1902. At the time of their arrival he was a coal miner and a union member like his father, who was president of a local coal miners' union in Scotland. He remembered attending union meetings at age six. He began working in the mines when he was ten and as a result had little formal education. His family was Roman Catholic and tutored him on both religious and social issues.

Early Involvement.

Working as a coal miner in western Pennsylvania, Murray became a labor activist because, as he explained, a "coal miner has no money. He is alone. He has no organization to defend him. He has nowhere to go. It is not inadequacy of the State law. The law is there, but the individual cannot protect himself because he has no...

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