James E. Purdy · Public domain

Founded the American Federation of Labor in 1886 and led it for nearly four decades, building the framework of American collective bargaining around shorter hours and higher wages rather than the more radical politics some rivals wanted. He kept craft unions from fracturing over turf and steered the AFL to support the war effort in 1917 while opposing the more militant Industrial Workers of the World. He also backed restrictions on Chinese immigration, a position at odds with the labor movement's later commitments to solidarity across ethnic lines.