William Dudley Haywood 1869 – 1928

Biography

William Dudley Haywood was born on February 4, 1869, in Salt Lake City, Utah, during a transformative era for American labor. He devoted his life to organizing workers and advocating for labor rights, becoming a prominent figure in the labor movement. His work took him across the country and eventually beyond, as he pursued his commitment to workers’ causes throughout his life.

In his later years, Haywood’s activities and beliefs led him to Moscow, where he continued his work in service of labor causes. On May 18, 1928, at the age of fifty-nine, he suffered a stroke and passed away. His dedication to his principles was honored in death as he was interred at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Moscow’s Tverskoy District—a final resting place that reflected the significance others attributed to his lifelong labor activism.

Haywood’s legacy remains tied to the labor movement of his era, representing a generation of organizers who worked tirelessly for workers’ rights during a critical period in American and international labor history.