Martin Francis Ryan (October 23, 1874 – January 17, 1935) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

labor union leader. Martin F

Born in

Coldwater, West Virginia Coldwater is an unincorporated community in Doddridge County, West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographe ...

, Ryan began working on the railroad as soon as he left school, and moved to

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

when he was eighteen. In 1899, he joined the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of America, and in 1903 was elected to its executive. In 1905, he was elected as the union's vice-grand chief carman, then in 1909 as its general president. In 1918, Woodrow Wilson appointed him as a member of the First Labor Mission to Great Britain and France, and in 1924 he was a delegate to the congress of the Pan-American Federation of Labor. In 1923, Ryan was elected as a vice-president 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 ...

, then in 1929 as the federation's treasurer. From 1928, he was also treasurer of the Railway Labor Executives' Association, and in 1927 he was the founding treasurer of the

Union Labor Life Insurance Company Ullico Inc. is a privately held insurance and financial services holding company in the United States. Formerly known as Union Labor Life Insurance Company, it was founded in 1927 by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and its then president, ...

. Ryan died in 1935, while still in office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Martin Francis 1874 births 1935 deaths American trade union leaders People from Doddridge County, West Virginia Trade unionists from West Virginia Vice Presidents of the American Federation of Labor Secretary-Treasurers of the American Federation of Labor