Martin Lawlor (November 27, 1868 – September 2, 1959) was an Irish-born American labor union leader. Born in

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, in Ireland, Lawlor emigrated to the United States in 1885 or 1886. He settled in

Bethel, Connecticut Bethel () is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Its population was 11,988 in 2022 according to World Population Review. The town includes the Bethel (CDP), Connecticut, Bethel Census Designated Place. Inte ...

, where he completed an apprenticeship as a hatter, and joined the Bethel Hat Makers' Union, becoming its secretary in 1890. He remained secretary when the union became the National Hat Makers' Association of the United States. In 1896, it merged into the

United Hatters of North America The United Hatters of North America (UHU) was a labor union representing hat makers, headquartered in the United States. History The UHU was founded and received a charter in the American Federation of Labor in 1896 through a merger of the Inter ...

, and Lawlor served on the new union's executive board. In 1898, Lawlor was elected as vice-president of the union, then in 1904 as its secretary; from 1911, its secretary-treasurer. He led a boycott of D. E. Loewe & Company, an anti-union fur hat manufacturer, which sued him for violating the

Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author. Th ...

. The lengthy case, ''

Loewe v. Lawlor ''Loewe v. Lawlor'', 208 U.S. 274 (1908), also referred to as the Danbury Hatters' Case, is a United States Supreme Court case in United States labor law concerning the application of antitrust laws to labor unions. The Court's decision effectivel ...

'', was eventually resolved in Loewe's favor, with total damages of $290,000. In 1934, the union went into another merger which formed the United Hatters', Cap, and Millinery Workers' International Union, with Lawlor becoming its vice-president and secretary-treasurer of its Men's Hat Department. In 1936, he instead became the union's label secretary. He held this post until June 1959, when it was abolished, and he became an honorary officer. He died later in the year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawlor, Martin 1868 births 1959 deaths American trade union leaders Irish emigrants to the United States Trade unionists from County Kerry