He is a somber figure, dressed wholly in black, and singularly grave in manner for so young a man. The impression that he makes is composite.

His sedate dress, spectacles and squarely trimmed black hair give him somewhat the air of a country clergyman; his face if the student’s – clear cut, with a serious mouth, and high, not full brow, while his voice suggests that this responsibility-weighted young man might have made a good actor had he not chosen the thousand-fold more difficult career of apostle of the miners.

This voice of his is not only exceptionally good as an element of oratory, but remarkably winning as an element of persuasive power that has helped to make John Mitchell a national figure rather than simply one of thousands of miners.

His manner is deferential, which would not distinguish him from the humblest miner, for I find that ignorant Slav or Italian, unable to speak English and with no means of knowing why a strange woman has entered his home, is courtesy itself, but it is also extremely grave, which does distinguish him.

His subordinates in the management of the strike are cheerful on principle. Mr. Mitchell does not appear to rid himself for an instant of the oppressive sense of his responsibility.

– Olivia Dunbar, writing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch during the Coal Strike of 1900. She interviewed UMWA leader John Mitchell during the early stages of the strike.

John Mitchell unified the UMWA and led the labor union to major labor victories in the first decade of the 20th century, becoming a hero for workers across the United States.

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