Gompers Center

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Samuel Gompers (1850-1924) was born January 27, 1850 in London. After only 4 years of elementary school education, he apprenticed to a cigar maker in the east end of London where he learned the trade he followed for a quarter of a century. In 1863, he accompanied his family to New York City. There he later became active in the social clubs, fraternal orders and labor unions of the lower east side, then teaming with immigrants from Europe. Unlike many of the other immigrants who were the bearers of European revolutionary traditions, Gompers' ideas were moderate and he exerted a powerful influence in the evolution of American Labor Unionism from radicalism to conservatism. During the following years, he was a leader in the movement to organize the National Federation of Labor Unions. When the AFL was founded in 1886, Gompers was elected President of the organization. Thereafter, to his death, except in 1895, he was reelected annually to that position. Samuel Gompers made this statement when he gave an address to teachers: "The organized labor movement realizes that education is not an arbitrary thing that automatically ends with a certain year of life, but that it must continue throughout life if the individual is really to live and make progress." It wasn't too long ago that Gompers' clients, 24 in all, were treated to a shipboard adventure on one of the 37 SS Samuel Gompers ships. Since that time, Gompers has grown and now serves over 270 clients.

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