Born in Buffalo, New York, Flore worked in the saloon owned by his father from his teenage years.
[2] When Flore was elected president, he was only the second most powerful figure in the union, behind secretary-treasurer Jere L. Sullivan.
However, Flore became increasingly unhappy with Sullivan's focus on organizing bartenders at the expense of other areas of the industry.
Sullivan died the following year, and Flore took the opportunity to reorganize the union, giving himself the greater share of power.
To do so, he worked closely with West Coast locals, and focused on recruiting lower-paid workers in the industry, such as bellhops, maids and busboys.