John Brown Lennon

John Brown Lennon (October 12, 1850 - January 17, 1923) was an American labor union leader and general-secretary of the Journeymen Tailors Union of America (JTU). In 1890, he was elected treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and served in that capacity until he was defeated by Teamsters president Daniel J. Tobin in 1917. During World War I, he was appointed by Woodrow Wilson to the U.S. Department of Labor's board of mediators and Commission of Conciliation, and also served on the U.S. Commission of Industrial Relations. In 1919, he supported the formation of the Illinois Labor Party and ran for mayor of Bloomington, Illinois on the Labor Party ticket.

Early life Lennon was born in Lafayette County, Wisconsin on October 12, 1850 to John Alexander and Elizabeth Fletcher (Brown). In 1852, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where Lennon learned the tailor's trade from his father.

After attending Oberlin College for seven months, Lennon moved to Denver, Colorado, where he worked first as a farmer and miner before returning to the tailor's trade. On April 5, 1871, he married Juna J. Allen and they had one son.

Union career While working as a tailor in Denver, Lennon's involvement in labor union activity started with his membership in the Journeyman Tailors Union in 1871. He helped organize Denver's central labor council, and also ran for mayor on a labor-socialist ticket.

Lennon lost the JTU general-secretary position in 1910 to Canadian labor leader and socialist, Eugene Brais. Despite this defeat, he served as the AFL treasurer until Teamsters president Daniel Tobin was elected to the position in 1917.

Death Lennon's wife Juna died on May 6, 1919. On July 1, 1920, he remarried to Barbara Egger.

John Brown Lennon died at his home in Bloomington on January 17, 1923. He is buried in Park Hill Cemetery in Bloomington.