The Resume

(January 27, 1850-December 13, 1924)
Born in London, United Kingdom
Founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
AFL President (1886-94,1895-1924)

Why he might be annoying:

His name is sometimes given as 'Samuel L. Gompers,' but he did not have a middle name.
He was a cigar maker.
Although he learned about collective bargaining and organizing a union from socialists, he later declared 'Socialists have uniformly been men whose minds have been warped by a great failure.'
He supported immigration restrictions, including a complete ban on allowing Chinese immigrants.
He clashed with rival unions, such as Bill Haywood's International Workers of the World, and supported the government's mass arrest of IWW officials after the First World War.

Why he might not be annoying:

At ten, he had to leave school and become an apprentice cigar maker to help support the family.
Three of his children died in infancy.
He led a young State Assemblyman named Teddy Roosevelt on a tour of New York City slums, promting Roosevelt to support anti-sweatshop legislation (1882).
He successfully campaigned for shorter working hours, higher wages and improved working conditions.
He said, 'What does labor want? We want more school houses and less jails. More books and less guns. More learning and less vice. More leisure and less greed. More justice and less revenge. We want more ... opportunities to cultivate our better natures.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Born on Holocaust Remembrance Day [January 27] (Ranked: 1850)
• Breeders [Have 5 or More Kids] (Ranked: 9)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 47]
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [January] (Ranked: 1271850)
• I am on a U.S. Postage Stamp [D-G]
• I Did Not Graduate High School [F-I]
• I Died in 1924 (Ranked: 74)
• I Have Diabetes
• I Outlived My Child
• In Town for The World's Fair at the Columbian Exposition [1893-Chicago]
• Profiles 34251-34500 (Ranked: 34362)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 17 Votes: 70.59% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 49 Votes: 48.98% Annoying