“Big Bill” Haywood – 1869-1928

William D. “Big Bill” Haywood was a western miner who became active in the mine labor movement. He was a founder of the International Workers of the World (IWW) in 1905, a radical labor organization that sought to bring all workers under “one big union.” Haywood was persistently harassed by federal authorities, who, after U.S. entry into World War I, arrested him and other IWW members on charges of treason and sabotage for interfering with warrelated production. While on bail pending appeal, Haywood fled to Soviet Russia, where he lived the rest of his life.