Richard Powers (c.1844 – May 11, 1929) was an Irish-born American labor union leader. Powers was born in Ireland, and emigrated to the United States in 1861, settling in

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 ...

. He served in the Union Army 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 ...

, then relocated to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He became a sailor, working on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

, and in 1877, he was a founding member of a union for lumber unloaders. This inspired him, in 1878, to found the Lake Seamen's Union, becoming its first president. In 1881, Powers was a founding member of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (FOTLU), and was elected as its first president, serving a single term. He spent time in

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, lobbying on behalf of seamen. After his presidential term, he remained on the executive of FOTLU until 1885. In 1886, he became the representative of District 136 of 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 ...

. From the late 1880s, Powers worked in a variety of jobs, including drain inspector and revenue collector. He was also a member of

Clan na Gael Clan na Gael (CnG) (, ; "family of the Gaels") is an Irish republican organization, founded in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Bro ...

. He remained the leader of the Lake Seamen's Union into the 1890s, and died in 1929.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Richard 1840s births 1929 deaths American trade union leaders Irish emigrants to the United States