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A native of Scotland, Martin Irons (1833-1900) came to the United States at the age of fourteen as a machinist's apprentice. After learning the trade,he lived and worked in numerous places throughout the country. By 1884,he was employed as a machinist in the Missouri Pacific Railway shop in Sedalia, Missouri. A firm believer in organization as a means by which individuals could improve their lives, Irons became an active participant in groups such as the Knights of Pythias and the Grange. While working in Sedalia, he became interested in an early union society known as the Knights of Labor and was instrumental in organizing workers employed by Jay Gould's network of southwestern railroad lines. The Railroad Union, known as District Assembly 101, went on strike in 1886. Irons, then chairman of the executive committee, came into prominence as its leader. The strike was marked by violence, and when it ended, Irons was blacklisted. He retired in nearby Bruceville but remained active in social reform movements until his death. Iron's grave in the Bruceville Cemetery is marked by a monument, placed in 1911 by the Missouri Federation of Labor. |
