Ralph Beaumont (born April 7, 1844) was an English-born American labor union leader. Born in

Holmfirth Holmfirth () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is located south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley; the boundary of the Peak District National Park is to the south-west. The town is sited on t ...

in England, Beaumont emigrated with his parents to the United States when he was four years old, settling in

Dudley, Massachusetts Dudley is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2020 census. History Dudley was first settled in 1714 and was officially incorporated in 1732. The town was named for landholders Paul and Wil ...

. He began working as a shoemaker when he was about 10 years old, completing an apprenticeship. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he served with the 7th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment. After the war, Beaumont moved to

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

, where he returned to shoemaking. He joined the Knights of St. Crispin, an early union, then became active in the

Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...

. He served as General Worthy Foreman of the Knights of Labor, the union's second-in-command, from 1878 to 1879, and again from 1882 to 1883. In 1884, he announced that he would tour the country on foot, starting in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

, and ending in California. Beaumont supported the

Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an Political parties in the United States, American political party with an Competition law, anti-monopoly ideolog ...

, for which he stood unsuccessfully for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

in 1877, and for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in 1878. In 1880, he became the labor correspondent of the ''Elmira Sunday Telegram'', the first of several posts in journalism. In the late 1880s, he served as chair of the Knights of Labor's National Legislative Committee. He became the chair of the National Citizens' Alliance in 1890, and worked as a lecturer for the Knights in the 1890s. By 1902, he was an immigrant inspector based a St John, New Brunswick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaumont, Ralph 1844 births Year of death missing American trade union leaders English emigrants to the United States Knights of Labor people People from Holmfirth