Samuel Gompers was born in 1850 in London, England to Dutch immigrant parents and moved with his family to New York City in 1863. He began working as a cigar maker and joined the Cigar Makers' Union in 1864. Gompers later helped found the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886 to advocate for workers' rights and higher wages. Under Gompers' leadership, the AFL grew to over 3 million members and successfully fought for improvements in workplace conditions, wages, and benefits for American workers through tactics like strikes and boycotts. Gompers led the AFL until his death in 1924.
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