Alexander Howat

Howat is best remembered as the chief opponent of the Kansas Court of Industrial Relations in the early 1920s and as the leader of a radical rank-and-file revolt against the officialdom of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) in 1923.

[1] The family lived first in Troy, New York and Braidwood, Illinois, before moving to Crawford County, Kansas, located in the Southeastern corner of the state.

[1] In 1906 Howat was elected president of District 14 of the UMWA, retaining that position without interruption until 1914, when he refused to stand for re-election amidst charges of having accepted bribes from mine operators.

[1] Following investigation of this corruption charge, which led to Howat's exoneration, he was returned as the president of District 14 UMWA in 1916, remaining in this position through 1921.

[5] Despite Howat's defeat on the main question concerning him, he was elected by the 1921 convention as a delegate of the UMWA to the 1922 International Miners Conference, scheduled to be held in Europe.

He fought it nobly and is willing to go to death for it..."[8]More heated debate followed, after which supporters of Howat were narrowly defeated in a roll call vote, amidst a turmoil described by one historian as "stormy scenes verging on rioting.

[10] The 1924 effort was a wild affair, marked by delegate demonstrations, swarming in the aisles, fist fights, and the copious use of its sergeants-at-arms by the Lewis administration.

[11] Decisions were made by a deeply divided convention, amidst accusations of falsification of roll call counts by the so-called "Lewis machine.

[13] The rhetorical triumph proved ephemeral, as Howat and a number of his supporters remained outside of the union, with Lewis firmly retaining control of the organization.

Foster of TUEL attempted to carry on the fight against the Lewis regime in the UMWA through an organized faction called the Save the Union Committee.

[15] Brophy accepted a place as chairman of this session, although Howat declined playing a public role in this anti-Lewis opposition movement in the hopes that he would eventually be reinstated to the UMWA.