What was Samuel Gompers famous for?

Samuel Gompers^[1] (January 27, 1850^[2] - December 13, 1924) was an American labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and served as the AFL's powerful president from 1886 until his death in 1924. He promoted harmony among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL, minimizing jurisdictional battles. He favored unions comprised of skilled workers and advised against "industrial unions" that included unskilled workers. Calling for union recognition and collective bargaining to secure control of the workplace. shorter hours and higher wages, he opposed most government intervention but backed socialism after he was released from jail. The radical wing of the labor movement opposed Gompers at every turn, but seldom prevailed. After 1907, he encouraged the AFL to take political action, usually in alliance with Democrats, to "elect their friends" and "defeat their enemies." A strong supporter of the government during World War I, he achieved rapid growth in membership, rising wage rates, and extensive overtime while minimizing strikes. Gompers was the best-known national spokesman for labor unions and the working class generally. He served on many commissions and made his national headquarters a publicity machine that generated many interviews, speeches and pamphlets to spread the message of prosperity through cooperation between business and labor.