Henry J. Ohl Jr. (March 16, 1873 – October 16, 1940) was a Wisconsin typographer and trade union leader, president for many years of the

Wisconsin State Federation of Labor The Wisconsin State Federation of Labor (WSFL), affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, was the largest federation of labor unions in Wisconsin, from its formation in 1893 at the behest of the Milwaukee Federated Trades Council to its 195 ...

(WSFL). He also served one term as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee.

Background

Ohl was born in the city of Milwaukee March 16, 1873, attended the

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

, and became a typographer and member of the International Typographical Union. He had been active in the union movement of Wisconsin, for some time, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor Executive Board, and union organizer for 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 mutu ...

and Wisconsin Federation of Labor, when elected to the legislature.

Politics

Ohl was an active member of the Socialist Party of Milwaukee, and served as deputy

city clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

under Socialist mayor

Emil Seidel Emil Seidel (December 13, 1864 – June 24, 1947) was a prominent German-American politician. Seidel was the mayor of Milwaukee from 1910 to 1912. The first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States, Seidel became the Vice Presidential ...

from 1910-1912. He was elected in 1916 to succeed fellow Socialist Carl Minkley as a member of the State Assembly for the Fourth district of

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

(20th and 22nd wards of the City of Milwaukee), with 3057 votes to 2987 for Republican F. Meyer and 1381 for

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

J.P. O'Neil. He was assigned to the standing committee on state affairs. He did not run for re-election in 1918, and was succeeded by fellow Socialist

Albert Ehlman Albert Charles Ehlman (November 10, 1876 – 1930) was a lawyer, schoolteacher and professor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, who served one term as a Socialist member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Background Ehlman was born in Milwaukee on No ...

Labor movement

Ohl succeeded Frank J. Weber as head of the WSFL in 1917 and continued to lead it until his death, under the titles of general organizer (1917–1923) and then president (1923–1940), lobbying for the labor movement with the legislature after his term was completed. He served as a member of the Federal Board of Vocational Education and

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's Advisory Council on Economic Security. During the early 1920s Ohl was active in the Conference for Progressive Political Action, and in 1935 helped muster labor support to form the Farmer-Labor-Progressive Federation which coordinated the Wisconsin Progressive Party with the Socialists, progressive farmer organizations and other groups. He finally broke with the Socialists in 1937 when the national Socialist Party endorsed the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

over the AFL. Ohl repeatedly charged that the C.I.O. movement was being used as an instrument for the Communist Party of America to move into and take over American labor unionism. At the 1937 convention of the American Federation of Teachers, Ohl accused, "The full drama of betrayal, as evidenced by events, exposes a treachery never before perpetrated in the annals of labor anywhere. Existing unions were disrupted by the C.I.O., funds were manipulated into C.I.O. channels wherever this could be accomplished."''Time''">"Education:Two Horses" Time (magazine), ''Time''
September 6, 1937

References

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