GOMPERS, SAMUEL, an American labor leader, born in London, Eng land, Jan. 27, 1850. He was apprenticed to a cigar maker as a young boy and came to the United States in 1863. In spite of his youth he became in the fol lowing year, 1864, the first registered member of the Cigar Makers' Interna tional Union, serving later as its secre tary and president and making it one of most successful of all American trade unions. He was one of the founders of the AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR (q. v.), and the editor of its official maga zine. In 1881 he was elected its vice president, and from 1882 on he was an nually elected president with the single exception of 1894, in which year he was defeated by John McBride. Under his influence and direction the American Federation of Labor became one of the most powerful and successful labor or ganizations in the world. Gompers, though sponsoring and supporting many movements and measures in favor of and for the improvement of labor, has con sistently thrown his influence toward the conservative elements of American labor. His opposition to socialistic tendencies within the ranks of American trade unionists has been outspoken and unfal tering. In 1907 he came into special prominence, together with other officers of the American Federation of Labor, for failing to observe an injunction granted to the Buck Stove and Range Company in the latter's complaint against the Fed eration for having been included in the list of unfair concerns published in the official magazine of the Federation. Mr.
Gompers was tried for contempt and sen tenced to a term of prison. Repeated appeals eventually brought the matter before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1914, when this court decided that the statute of limitations made further actions impossible. As the presi dent of the American Federation of La bor, he was, of course, identified with, and, indeed, frequently initiated this or ganization's policies, as in respect to the eight-hour day, employers' liability laws, etc. He has tried at various times, but without any marked degree of success, to control the labor vote on behalf of candidates favorable to labor. During the World War he was a member of the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense. At the Peace Confer ence in Paris in 1918-1919 he acted as the representative of the American Federa tion of Labor. At the same time he served as president of the International Commission on Labor Legislation. In 1919 he was the chairman of the delega tion from the American Federation of Labor to the convention of the Interna tional Federation of Trades Unions at Amsterdam. He also served as 1st vice president of the National Civic Federa tion. He published "Labor in Europe and America"; "American Labor and the War"; "Labor and the Common Wel fare," as well as numerous pamphlets on labor questions and movements.