Olivier-David Benoît (6 February 1837 – 19 February 1897) was a
shoemaker by trade and attained importance in history as a
trade union leader.
Benoît had his early trade union experience with an American-based group called the
Knights of Labor. Expanding from the
United States to
Canada in the late 19th century, they supported a radical set of
social reforms
A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary m ...
. They were politically active and worked to educate the public with their positions
Olivier-David Benoît was a first generation labour leader who believed in the ideals espoused by the Knights and worked to give working people a societal voice. In a notable case, Benoît appeared before the
Royal Commission on the Relations of Capital and Labor in Canada chaired by
James Sherrard Armstrong.
[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=5346 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'' - James Sherrard Armstrong] In that appearance he was to make his case about the conditions faced by workers in the boot and shoe industry.
References
''Jacques Rouillard, “BENOÎT, OLIVIER-DAVID,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed March 12, 2021, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/benoit_olivier_david_12E.html.''
1837 births
1897 deaths
Trade unionists from Quebec
Shoemakers
Knights of Labor people
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