Hugo Ernst (December 11, 1876 – July 22, 1954) was a Croatian-born American labor union leader. Born in

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, Ernst's father was the city's rabbi. Hugo studied journalism, and when he was 26, emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to become a reporter on a Croatian-language newspaper. When he asked for a pay rise, he was instead sacked, and became a bus boy. In 1904, he traveled to

St Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, to work as a waiter at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

. After the event, he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, around which time, he joined local 30 of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees' International Alliance. Ernst later became secretary of the local, which organized low-paid workers, and he became the leader of opposition to Jere L. Sullivan's craft unionism. In 1939, Ernst was elected as secretary-treasurer of the union, moving to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

to take up the post. He then took the top post, of president, in 1945, also become president of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

's Employees Board. He also served as a vice-president of

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting p ...

, and of the Labor League for Political Education. He died in 1945, still in office. A street was named after Ernst in

Holon Holon (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. In , it had a population of , making it the List of cities in Israel, tenth most populous city in Isra ...

, in Israel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst, Hugo 1876 births 1954 deaths Leaders of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Croatian emigrants to the United States People from Varaždin Trade unionists from New York (state) Activists from New York City