Samuel Gompers was born in London in 1850. He came from a poor family, and his formal education ended at age 10. In 1863 Gompers moved with his family to New York City. He became a cigar maker and joined the Cigarmakers’ Union in 1864, becoming president of the union’s New York chapter in 1877. In 1881 Gompers helped found the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, which was reorganized as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886. Gompers served as president of the AFL from 1886 until his death in 1924, except for one year, 1895. The AFL was a federation of national organizations, each of which retained a large degree of independence. The AFL represented workers in matters of national legislation, established a system of negotiations and written contracts with employers, and popularized the idea of the standard eight-hour work day.
