History of eugene debs

Beloved by many contemporaries as a man "too good for this world" who would give the clothes off his back to anyone in need, "Gene" Debs was a prominent leader of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen (BLF) in his youth.

Later he helped found the American Railway Union (), the Socialist Party of America () and the Industrial Workers of the World (). The best-known apostle of industrial unionism in the early years of the 20th century, Debs ran for president of the United States on the Socialist Party ticket five times between and , winning millions of votes.

Although none of his dreams were realized during his lifetime, Debs inspired millions to believe in "the emancipation of the working class and the brotherhood of all mankind," and he helped spur the rise of industrial unionism and the adoption of progressive social and economic reforms.

Debs was born on Nov.

5, , in Terre Haute, Ind., the son of Marguerite Bettrich and Jean Daniel Debs, Alsatian immigrants and