Mother Jones

Mary Harris "Mother" Jones (August 1, 1837 – November 30, 1930) was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent labor and community organizer. She helped coordinate major strikes and co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World.

Early Life

Mary Harris was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1837. Her family emigrated to the United States in 1847, fleeing the Great Famine. They settled in Toronto, Canada, where Mary attended school. She later moved to the United States, working as a teacher and dressmaker.

Personal Tragedies

In 1861, Mary married George E. Jones, a union iron molder and staunch member of the National Union of Iron Moulders. They had four children. However, in 1867, a yellow fever epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee, claimed the lives of her husband and all four children. Following this tragedy, she returned to Chicago and opened a dressmaking business, which was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Labor Movement Involvement

After these personal losses, Mary Jones became involved in the labor movement. She joined the Knights of Labor and began organizing strikes for workers' rights. Her work with the United Mine Workers and other labor organizations earned her the nickname "Mother Jones."

Industrial Workers of the World

In 1905, Mother Jones was a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical labor union that sought to unite all workers in a single organization. She was known for her fiery speeches and organizing skills, which inspired workers to fight for better conditions.

Major Campaigns

Mother Jones was involved in numerous labor campaigns, including:

• The Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike of 1912 in West Virginia, where she was arrested for her role in organizing miners.
• The Colorado Coalfield War, where she supported striking miners in Ludlow, Colorado.
• The March of the Mill Children in 1903, where she led a march of child workers from Philadelphia to New York City to protest child labor.

Legacy

Mother Jones continued her activism into her 90s, becoming a symbol of the labor movement. She was known for her dedication to workers' rights and her ability to mobilize large groups of people. Her autobiography, published in 1925, provides insight into her life and work.

Death

Mother Jones died on November 30, 1930, in Silver Spring, Maryland. She is buried in the Union Miners Cemetery in Mount Olive, Illinois, alongside miners she had fought for.

Also see

• Labor history of the United States
• Industrial Workers of the World
• Knights of Labor
• Ludlow Massacre
• Child labor in the United States