The United Labor Party was a short-lived alliance of 115 different labor unions and labor parties including the Central Labor Union, Knights of Labor, and the Socialist Labor Party.
History Origins The ULP was formed as a response to the rising "red scare" following the Haymarket Affair.
Henry George mayoral campaign
After the formation of the ULP, party leaders reached out to Henry George and asked him to be their candidate for Mayor of New York City in 1886. George, who was sympathetic enough to labor to run under their banner but also educated enough to be a viable candidate, eventually agreed after seeing 36,000 signatures in support of him. George came in second place, ahead of Republican candidate Theodore Roosevelt but behind the Democratic candidate Abram Hewitt.
The ULP also unsuccessfully contested the 1887 Philadelphia mayoral election with Tomas Phillips as their candidate.
Split After the 1886 election, there was heavy conflict between the Georgist and the Socialist factions of the party, leading to a split in 1887 which ended the alliance.
Members Henry George, economist, candidate for Mayor of New York City (1886) James J. Coogan, merchant, candidate for Mayor of New York City (1888), future Borough President of Manhattan John Vincent, lawyer, candidate for Justice of the New York Supreme Court (1887), former New York County District Attorney James A. O'Gorman, lawyer, candidate for Justice of the New York City Civil Court (1887), future United States Senator Louis F. Post, newspaper editor, chairman of the 1887 party convention, future United States Assistant Secretary of Labor Laurence Gronlund, writer, delegate to the 1887 party convention John McMackin, delegate to the 1887 party convention, future New York State Labor Commissioner Sergei Shevitch, newspaper editor, delegate to the 1887 party convention Walter Vrooman, educationalist, delegate to the 1887 party convention
Supporters Jacob Ralph Abarbanell, playwright Lillie Devereux Blake, suffragist Thomas Davidson, professor Benjamin Franklin DeCosta, Episcopalian priest Samuel Gompers, President of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions Daniel De Leon, lecturer Edward Bliss Foote, doctor Patrick Ford, journalist Richard J. Hinton, journalist Robert G. Ingersoll, orator Tom L. Johnson, industrialist James G. Maguire, Judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court Charles H. Matchett, socialist Edward McGlynn, Catholic priest R. Heber Newton, Episcopalian priest Terence V. Powderly, Grand Master Workman of the Knights of Labor James Redpath, journalist Sylvanus H. Sweet, former New York State Engineer and Surveyor (1874–1875) John Swinton, journalist Gideon J. Tucker, former New York Secretary of State Charles F. Wingate, philanthropist
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