William Bauchop Wilson
| William Wilson | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st United States Secretary of Labor | |
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In office March 5, 1913 – March 5, 1921 |
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| President | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | James Davis |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 15th district |
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In office March 4, 1907 – March 4, 1913 |
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| Preceded by | Elias Deemer |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Kiess |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 2, 1862 Blantyre, Scotland, UK |
| Died | May 25, 1934 (aged 72) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
William Bauchop Wilson (April 2, 1862 – May 25, 1934) was a (Scottish-born) American labor leader and progressive politician. He is best remembered for his service as the first Secretary of Labor (1913–21) under President Woodrow Wilson.
William B. Wilson was born in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the third child of Adam Black Wilson and Helen Nelson Bauchop Wilson, and the first surviving early childhood. His father was a coal miner.
During a mining strike in February 1868 the family was unceremoniously evicted from their company-owned home. Adam Wilson unsuccessfully traveled around Scotland attempting to find other work. He ultimately decided to emigrate to the United States to find employment there, leaving his wife and three children to set sail across the Atlantic in April 1870.
Adam Wilson found his place in the bituminous coal region of Pennsylvania, setting in the little town of Arnot, located in Tioga County. After finding a job, Adam Wilson sent for his wife and family, who — together with his father-in-law — departed Glasgow for America in August 1870.
Immediately after arriving in the United States William was enrolled in public school in Arnot. This interval proved to be short-lived, however, as William's father began to suffer serious back problems and was unable to complete his work without assistance. Therefore, at the age of 9, William was removed from school and sent to help his father in the mines. He would continue to work as a miner for nearly two decades.
In 1874, young William engaged in labor organizing for the first time when he attempted to launch a union for the boys who worked as trappers, manually operating the ventilation of the mines. When the fledgling union threatened a strike over a wage reduction, union representative Wilson discovered the limits of union solidarity in the face of superior force, when he was thrown over a foreman's knee and paddled. The incipient strike was broken.
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