Bill Haywood
William Dudley Haywood (February 4, 1869 – May 18, 1928), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American labor organizer and founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the executive committee of the Socialist Party of America. During the first two decades of the 20th century, Haywood was involved in several important labor battles, including the Colorado Labor Wars, the Lawrence Textile Strike, and other textile strikes in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Bill Haywood | |
|---|---|
| 3rd and 5th General Secretary-Treasurer of the Industrial Workers of the World | |
| In office February 1918 – December 1918 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Hardy (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Peter Stone |
| In office January 1915 – September 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Vincent St. John |
| Succeeded by | Fred Hardy (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Richard Haywood February 4, 1869 Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 1928 (aged 59) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Resting place | Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Moscow |
| Political party | Communist (from 1920) Socialist (until 1913) |
| Spouse |
Nevada Jane Minor
(m. 1889; died 1920) |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Occupation | Labor leader and activist |
| Signature | |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Socialism in the United States |
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Haywood was an advocate of industrial unionism, and syndicalism, a labor philosophy that favors organizing all workers in an industry under one union, regardless of the specific trade or skill level; this was in contrast to the craft unions that were prevalent at the time, such as the AFL. He believed that workers of all ethnicities should be united, and favored direct action over political action.
Haywood was often targeted by prosecutors due to his support for violence. An attempt to prosecute him in 1907 for his alleged involvement in the murder of Frank Steunenberg failed, but in 1918 he was one of 101 IWW members jailed for anti-war activity during the First Red Scare. He was sentenced to twenty years. In 1921, while out of prison during an appeal of his conviction, Haywood fled to the Soviet Union, where he spent the remaining years of his life. Paul Freeman, John Reed, Charles Ruthenberg, and Haywood are the only four Americans to be buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.