Credit: The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives,
Forced by poverty to leave his training for the Baptist ministry, Uriah Stephens (1821-1882) became a tailor in Philadelphia. In 1869 Steffens led the founding of the “Nobler and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor,” a secret organization steeped in ritual and a radical Christian belief in the fraternity of all workers, regardless of race, religion, craft, or gender. Steffens led the Knights of Labor until 1879 when he was succeeded by another Pennsylvanian, Scranton mayor Terence Powderly.
