“Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, that the first Monday in September of each and every year shall be known as Labor Day . . .”
In 1894, the U.S. Congress passed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday.
Patterson Green’s efforts preceded the accomplishments of organized labor leaders such as A. Philip Randolph, Sleeping Car Porters; John L. Lewis, United Mine Workers; Philip Murray, United Steel Workers; Jimmy Hoffa,Teamsters; Walter Reuther, United Auto Workers; and Cesar Chavez, United Farm Workers.
Born in New Bern, North Carolina, John Patterson Green became Cleveland’s first black lawyer and first black elected official (Justice of the Peace) and was also the second African-American elected to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1882.
During his second elected term in 1890, the state of Ohio enacted Labor Day legislation that earned him the title “Father of Labor Day in Ohio.” The former common laborer and lawyer wanted to honor all working men and women in Ohio with the idea of establishing a holiday to celebrate the contributions of workers (not politicians).
The Honorable John Patterson Green served three successive terms in the Ohio General Assembly, including two terms in the House of Representatives (1882-1883 and 1890-1891). In 1892, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, making him the first African-American elected to a state senate north of the Mason-Dixon Line in the United States. While serving as an Ohio state legislator, John Patterson Green sponsored and supported 21 major bills on behalf of labor.
During his professional and legislative career, he counted among his closest friends Mr. & Mrs. John D. (Ms. Lara C. Spellman) Rockefeller, Marcus A. Hanna and George A. Myers—all captains of industry. He also was a friend of and assisted Civil Rights leaders, such as Harry Smith, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglas, Charles Chestnut, and other black leaders of his day.
Mr. Green was also befriended by and received appointments to federal positions by Presidents James A. Garfield and William McKinley. Of all his associations and accomplishments, however, the Honorable John Patterson Green was most proud of his work to honor all working men and women of this nation by initiating Labor Day.
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