Born in St. Louis, Noonan left school when he was 14 to work in a mill.
He served in the Spanish-American War, before becoming an electrician, and in 1900 joining the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
[1][2] In 1918, Noonan became acting president of the union, and was then elected in his own right the following year.
He became a vice president of the Building Trades Department in 1922, and a vice-president of the American Federation of Labor in 1924.
[1][2] In 1929, Noonan fell asleep while smoking in his apartment.