In March 1903 J. Harvey Lynch called for the organization of a larger
labor union to better represent workers in
Oklahoma Territory and
Indian Territory. At the time dozens of unions had popped up to replace the declining
Knights of Labor. Forty-one delegates met at the
Odd Fellows Hall in
Lawton, Oklahoma in December 1903. It was attended by future U.S. Senator from Oklahoma
Thomas Gore;
Pete Hanraty was elected as president of the convention and Lynch served as secretary. At the time of its formation it claimed to represent 12,000 workers and collected five cents monthly dues per member. On February 15, 1904, the union was officially chartered by
American Federation of Labor president
Samuel Gompers. The organization focused on the issue of
Oklahoma statehood. They also sought to gain political influence after statehood and influence the
Oklahoma Constitutional Convention. In 1906, the group merged into the
Oklahoma State Federation of Labor. ==List of presidents==