John S. Kirchner (1857 – 1912) was an American labor unionist. Kirchner was born in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, to a German family. He became a cigar maker, and in 1877, he joined a local of the

Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...

. He joined the

Cigar Makers' International Union The Journeymen Cigar Makers' International Union of America (CMIU) was a labor union established in 1864 that represented workers in the cigar industry. The CMIU was part of the American Federation of Labor from 1887 until its merger in 1974. Org ...

(CMIU), organizing local 100 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was also active in the Philadelphia Central Labor Union, serving as its financial secretary in the mid-1880s. In 1885, Kirchner became the fourth vice-president of the CMIU, and its full-time organizer for Pennsylvania. Politically, he was considered to have anarchist sympathies, something which proved controversial with some other labor unionists. However, in 1886,

William H. Foster William Henry Foster (May 3, 1847 – 1886) was a British-born American labor union leader. Born in Liverpool, Foster taught at a school from the age of 15. In 1862, he moved to Portadown to undertake an apprenticeship as a printer. He retur ...

, secretary of the

Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada (FOTLU) was a federation of labor unions created on November 15, 1881, at Turner Hall in Pittsburgh. It changed its name to the American Federation of Labor (AF ...

(FOTLU), died, and Kirchner was appointed to complete his term. This was the leading position in the country's largest labor federation. John S. Kirchner Gone www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-times-john-s-kirchner-g/19091275/ A few months after Kirchner became secretary of FOTLU, it was reorganized as 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 mutual ...

. He was nominated as secretary of the new organization, but refused the nomination. In 1887, he left his labor union posts, but remained a member of the union. In 1902, local 100 merged into local 165, of which he became a member until his death, in 1912.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchner, John S. 1857 births 1912 deaths American people of German descent American trade union leaders Trade unionists from Maryland Cigar Makers' International Union people Trade unionists from Pennsylvania Activists from Philadelphia