James Kirby

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James Kirby (c. 1865 – October 8, 1915) was an American labor leader who led the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1913 until his death in 1915. Born near Kankakee, Illinois, he learned carpentry, moved to Chicago, and worked as a millwright in South Chicago as a member of Local 199. He became a delegate and later president of the Chicago District Council, then was elected president of the Structural Building Trades Alliance in 1905. When the Alliance joined the AFL in 1908 and became the Building Trades Department, he served as its president until 1910. In 1910 he was named general organizer for the international union by William Huber. He won the presidency of the United Brotherhood in 1912 and moved with his family to Indianapolis. He died suddenly after an operation for appendicitis, and his funeral was attended by union leaders from across the country.