Albert Parsons (1848-1887)

Albert Parsons, a printer and member of the Knights of Labor, was one of several men sentenced to death on thin evidence for playing a role in the 1886 Haymarket Affair. When Parsons learned that Terence Powderly had distanced the Knights of Labor from the tragedy, he denounced Powderly as both "cowardly and despicable." Parsons was hanged on November 11, 1887. This portrait of Parsons pre-dates the Haymarket affair.


This item is part of the background to the Forging Bonds of Sympathy: The Catholic Church and the Knights of Labor section.

ca. 1880

Chicago Historical Society