William B. Wilson
Blossburg, Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
First secretary of labor in 1913-21, Congressman, and labor leader, spent the greater part of his life here. He was born in Scotland, 1862, worked in the Arnot mines, rising to prominence as a labor statesman. His home is opposite. Died in 1934.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
William B. Wilson rose from the coal seams of Pennsylvania's northern tier to the highest councils of American government. Born in Scotland in 1862 and set to work young in the Arnot mines, he became a leading voice for organized labor in an era of brutal mine conditions and bitter strikes. In 1913 President Wilson named him the very first U.S. Secretary of Labor, a post he held through the upheavals of World War I and its aftermath until 1921. The house across the road anchored the life of a man who never forgot the pit where he started.
Why it matters
His career traces the arrival of working people at the cabinet table, marking the moment the federal government formally recognized labor as a national concern.
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Related people
- · William B. Wilson
Themes & tags
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