Credit: Library of Congress
Born in Scotland, Philip Murray (1886-1952) moved with his family to southwestern Pennsylvania where he worked as a coal miner with his father. Elected president of a UMW local in 1906, Murray became vice president of the National UMW after John Lewis's election in 1917. Murray remained Lewis's right hand man until he took charge of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee in 1936. Appointed president of the CIO in 1940, he also served as first president of the United Steel Workers of America from 1942 until his death in 1952. At the 1941 CIO convention, Murray announced his support of President Roosevelt's foreign policy and aid programs, then backed the national miners" strike opposed by FDR.
