James D. Graham (1873-1951), was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

-born American trade union leader and socialist politician. Graham is best remembered as the longtime leader of the Montana Federation of Labor (MFL) and the Socialist Party of Montana, state affiliate of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of Ameri ...

, during the first decades of the 20th century. He would serve as president of the MFL for two decades.

Biography

Early years

James D. Graham was born February 2, 1873, in the coastal town of

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, Scotland, the son of a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

named Michael Graham and his wife, the former Elizabeth Mann Denholm."James D. Graham," in John R. Steelman (ed.), ''Who's Who in Labor: The Authorized Biographies of the Men and Women Who Lead Labor in the United States and Canada and of Those Who Deal with Labor.'' New York: Dryden Press, 1946; pg. 138. The family would emigrate together to the United States of America in 1889, when James was 16.Bernard K. Johnpoll, "James D. Graham (1873-1951)," in Bernard K. Johnpoll and Harvey Klehr, ''Biographical Dictionary of the American Left.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986; pp. 168-169. The family settled in Livingston, Montana, where Graham's father was employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Graham followed in his father's footsteps during his early American years, taking a job with the Northern Pacific himself as an apprentice machinist. He would eventually become a fully fledged machinist and a member of the

International Association of Machinists The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is an AFL–CIO/ CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries with most of its membership in the United States and Canada. Or ...

(IAM) in 1896,Donald G. Sofchalk, "James D. Graham," in Gary M. Fink (ed.), ''Biographical Dictionary of American Labor.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984; pp. 262-263. remaining active in the organized labor movement for the rest of his life. Graham married the former Jennie Whyatt in August 1903. The couple would have one child together, a son.

Trade union functionary

The younger Graham was drawn to self-education, attending night school and taking correspondence courses, in the process reading extensively in the fields of engineering, history, law, and economics, gaining particular expertise in the field of labor economics. He worked for a time as a regional organizer for the

United Brotherhood of Railway Employees The United Brotherhood of Railway Employees (UBRE) was an industrial labor union established in Canada in 1898, and a separate union established in Oregon in 1901. The two combined in 1902. The union signed up lesser-skilled railway clerks and la ...

. This background ultimately proved a springboard to employment as a top official of the International Hod Carriers, Building and Common Laborers Union of America, part of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

. Around 1900 Graham was named the editor of ''Montana Labor News,'' the official newspaper of the Montana Federation of Labor (MFL), beginning what would be for him a lifetime career as a state-level trade union functionary. Graham was elected to the governing executive board of the MFL in 1901.

Socialist politician

Graham was a member of the so-called Chicago wing of the

Social Democratic Party of America The Social Democratic Party of America (SDP) was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1898. The group was formed out of elements of the Social Democracy of America (SDA) and was a predecessor to the Socialist Party of ...

(SDP) in the late 1890s, serving as a presidential elector on the Montana ballot in support of SDP nominee

Eugene V. Debs Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialism, socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate ...

in the 1900 Presidential election. He would become a founding member of the

(SPA) in 1901. Graham was involved in Socialist Party governance from the time of formation of the Socialist Party of Montana (SPM), state affiliate of the SPA, being elected a member of the organization's governing State Committee in July 1902. As was the case for many socialists of the era, Graham did his part for his political cause by standing for elected office under the party banner, running as a Socialist for police commissioner of Livingston in the city elections of 1903. He was elected State Secretary of the SPM in 1904 and served in that position for a two-year term. Graham again appeared on the ballot in the Livingston city election of 1905, heading the local ticket as the Socialist candidate for mayor. From 1903 the Socialist Party of Montana was supported by a privately-owned weekly newspaper, ''Montana News.'' In October 1905, during Graham's tenure as State Secretary, it was decided that the SPM should take over the ownership of this paper and publish it on its own behalf. From November of that year Graham served as business manager of this publication, which was edited his friend and professional state party organizer Ida Crouch-Hazlett.Jeffrey A. Johnson, ''"They're All Red Out Here": Socialist Politics in the Pacific Northwest, 1895-1925.'' Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008; pg. 61. The moderate pair would be sacked from their positions in 1908 as the result of factional politics, amidst charges of financial shenanigans. During the 1908 Presidential campaign, Graham was a state organizer for the SPA's effort on behalf of

, who made a number of speaking stops in the state as part of his whistle stop tour aboard the so-called "Red Special." In December 1908 Graham was again elected as State Secretary of the Socialist Party of Montana. He would remain active in the Socialist Party but saw the party's presence in the mining states of the western United States decline precipitously in the years after World War I, to the point that by 1929 there were a mere 20 members of the Socialist Party of Montana in good standing.Johnson, ''"They're All Red Out Here,"'' pg. 161. Graham would remain an active member until the party's bitter factional split of 1936. Graham would remain a committed socialist throughout his entire life despite feeling he could no longer lend his support to the SPA as an organization. As part of his life as a political activist, Graham would gain notice as a public advocate for an array of political causes of the progressive era, including

municipal ownership A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...

, women's suffrage, old age pensions, and the broad implementation of the initiative and referendum system.

Montana Federation of Labor chief

Graham was elected vice president of the MFL in 1927 and made the president of that organization in 1930. He would remain in this position for the last two decades of his life. As head of the MFL, Graham would be instrumental in helping to organize the copper miners of Butte, a multi-year effort that finally gained success in 1933 and 1934. During the years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Graham served a six-year stint beginning in 1934 as associate director of the Montana employment service. He would also be drawn into government service as the chair of the Montana Selective Service Appeals Board from 1941 to 1949. Graham was a lifelong

anti-Communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

who in his final years was a public advocate of the expulsion of the Soviet Union from the United Nations to end its veto power over that organization's military peacekeeping efforts.

Death and legacy

James D. Graham died in his hometown of

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

on June 9, 1951, following a year of serious illness. He was 78 years old at the time of his death.